Police Reviewing How to Handle Custody of Chung Jinsuk and Yoon Jaesoon
The police, who took over the special prosecutor’s case and are conducting an investigation, summoned former presidential chief of staff Chung Jinsuk as a suspect and questioned him overnight over allegations that he ordered the wiping of presidential office PCs around the time of former President Yoon Sukyeol’s impeachment.
Chung left for home at around 4:30 a.m. on the 9th after more than 18 hours of marathon questioning. The Special Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency summoned him at around 10:10 a.m. the previous day as a suspect on charges including damage to official electronic records, violation of the Presidential Records Act, and abuse of power. This was the first time the special investigation team had called in Chung for questioning. It is reported that the police questioned him in detail about the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged PC wiping, as well as any indications of evidence destruction.
Chung Jinsuk, former Chief of Staff to the President, appeared at the police station on the 8th as a suspect on charges including damage to public electronic records, violation of the Presidential Records Act, and abuse of power. Yonhap News
Chung is suspected of having ordered, together with former presidential office secretary for general affairs Yoon Jaesoon, the wiping of presidential office PCs around the time of former President Yoon Sukyeol’s impeachment. Previously, allegations were raised that in April last year he received a briefing on and approved a so-called “Plan B” PC wiping operation prepared by former secretary Yoon in preparation for a change of administration.
The special investigation team had already summoned former secretary Yoon for questioning on the 3rd. After reviewing the details of the latest questioning of Chung together with Yoon’s earlier statement, the team plans to decide how to proceed with regard to the custody and further handling of the two individuals.
Previously, the special prosecutor’s office had obtained testimony that former secretary Yoon instructed presidential office staff at the time to “dispose of the PCs by putting them into a steel mill blast furnace,” and investigated the possibility that the presidential office, in anticipation of an investigation into the declaration of martial law, attempted to destroy evidence at an institutional level. However, when the special prosecutor’s term expired, the case was transferred to the police.
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