'Involvement in Retrieving Investigation Records' Lee Siwon, Appears at Special Prosecutor... "I Will Cooperate Fully"

[Financial News] Lee Siwon, former Secretary for Public Discipline at the Presidential Office, who is suspected of involvement in retrieving investigation records related to the death of Corporal Chae, appeared at the special prosecutor on the 31st, stating, "I will cooperate fully with the investigation."
On the morning of the same day, former Secretary Lee appeared at the office of the Special Prosecutor Team for Corporal Chae (Special Prosecutor Im Myunghyun) in Seocho-gu, Seoul, around 9:20 AM. The special prosecutor team is conducting a face-to-face investigation with him as a suspect for abuse of authority from 9:30 AM.
Former Secretary Lee responded only with "I will cooperate fully with the investigation" to questions from the press such as "Did former President Yoon Seokyeol order the retrieval of the records?", "Did former President Yoon become furious upon hearing about the transfer of investigation records?", and "What did you discuss with former Defense Secretary Im Gihun and former Defense Ministry Legal Affairs Director Yoo Jae-eun during the transfer?"
He has been identified as a key figure directly linked to the allegations of investigation pressure related to the so-called 'VIP Fury' involving former President Yoon. The special prosecutor team recently imposed a travel ban on former Secretary Lee.
Former Secretary Lee is suspected of being involved in the retrieval of the Marine Corps death case by communicating with former Legal Affairs Director Yoo and former Defense Secretary Im on August 2, 2023, when the military prosecution retrieved the case.
Additionally, it is known that during the special prosecutor's investigation on the 16th, Superintendent Park, who worked in the Public Discipline Office at the time, testified that former Secretary Lee instructed them to review ways to retrieve the investigation records again.
The special prosecutor team plans to focus on questioning what role former Secretary Lee actually played in the record retrieval process and whether there were any illegal elements in the Ministry of Defense's retrieval procedures.
Meanwhile, the special prosecutor will summon Colonel Park Jeonghun, head of the Marine Corps Investigation Unit, as a witness at 1:30 PM on the same day. This will be the first witness investigation in 15 days since the first investigation on the 16th, and the special prosecutor plans to directly verify the newly obtained testimony from the Ministry of Defense and Marine Corps officials with Colonel Park.
The 'VIP Fury' refers to the allegation that former President Yoon became furious after receiving the initial investigation results of Corporal Chae's case, saying, "Who would want to be a division commander if they are punished for something like this?" Subsequently, former Defense Minister Lee Jongseop allegedly ordered the suspension of the police transfer and the cancellation of a press briefing, leading to allegations of investigation pressure.
 
scottchoi15@fnnews.com Choi Eunsol Reporter