Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor, 'Lee Jong-seop Escape Suspicion' Sim Woo-jeong Also Raided

[Financial News] The Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Team (Lee Myung-hyun Special Prosecutor) has confirmed that they conducted a raid on former Prosecutor General Sim Woo-jeong, who is suspected of being involved in the appointment and departure process of former Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop as Ambassador to Australia. Currently, the special prosecutor is conducting a large-scale raid on officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice related to the 'escape suspicion' of the former minister.
The special prosecutor team conducted a raid on the afternoon of the 4th against former Prosecutor General Sim, who is accused of aiding and abetting a fugitive and abuse of power.
Former Prosecutor General Sim is suspected of being involved in the process of lifting the travel ban on former Minister Lee when he was appointed as Ambassador to Australia in March last year while serving as Vice Minister of Justice.
Jung Min-young, Deputy Special Prosecutor for Chae Sang-byeong, stated in a press briefing on the morning of the day, "We are conducting a raid related to the charges concerning the appointment of the former minister as Ambassador to Australia." The special prosecutor team began raiding vehicles and bodies of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice on the same day, excluding residences.
The targets of the raid include former Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, former National Security Office Director Jang Ho-jin, and other officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with former Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae, former Vice Minister of Justice Lee No-gong, former Director of Personnel Information Management at the Ministry of Justice Park Haeng-ryeol, and former Director of Immigration and Foreign Policy Lee Jae-yu, among other former high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Justice.
The special prosecutor is thoroughly investigating whether former Minister Park and others exerted external pressure or undue intervention in the appointment process of the former minister. They are particularly focusing on the circumstances in which former Minister Lee was appointed as Ambassador to Australia while being under a travel ban as a suspect in the Chae Marine Corps case investigation in March last year, and how the Ministry of Justice subsequently lifted the travel ban.
In this regard, former Minister Park's side announced through a media notice on the day, "Former Minister Park did not conspire with former President Yoon Seok-yeol and others to appoint former Minister Lee as Ambassador to Australia and send him overseas," and "Former Minister Park only became aware of the travel ban after receiving a report on the objection from former Minister Lee on March 6, 2024." They also argued that the appointment of former Minister Lee as Ambassador to Australia was carried out before former Minister Park took office, making it practically impossible for him to be involved.  




scottchoi15@fnnews.com Choi Eun-sol Reporter