Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor, 'Investigation Briefing Canceled' Jeon Ha-gyu Questioned... Kim Geon-hee's Secret Phone, Used Until Recently

[Financial News] The Chae Sang-byeong special prosecutor team (Special Prosecutor Lee Myung-hyun) is summoning and investigating Jeon Ha-gyu, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense. The special prosecutor plans to focus on questioning the specific circumstances surrounding the sudden cancellation of the briefing on the initial investigation results of the Chae Sang-byeong case.
Jung Min-young, assistant special prosecutor for Chae Sang-byeong, stated in a regular briefing on the 5th, "Considering the spokesperson's role in officially organizing and expressing the Ministry of National Defense's position externally, the various instructions received from the then Minister of National Defense or the issues discussed in related meetings are deemed crucial in uncovering the truth of this case." The special prosecutor expects the investigation of the former spokesperson to be lengthy due to the wide scope of the investigation.
The former spokesperson was the Ministry of National Defense spokesperson at the time when the media briefing on the Chae Sang-byeong death case, scheduled for 2 p.m. on July 31, 2023, was abruptly canceled. The unclear reason for the briefing's cancellation raised suspicions of external pressure surrounding the announcement of the investigation results, and subsequently, the case records were retrieved from the police by the Ministry of National Defense's prosecution team, sparking controversy over the Ministry's involvement.
The former spokesperson appeared at the special prosecutor's office at around 9:50 a.m. that day. When asked if he maintained his position that there was no mention of Lim Seong-geun, former commander of the 1st Marine Division, during the first report to the minister, he replied, "Yes."
When asked who instructed the meeting document regarding Park Jung-hoon, head of the Marine Corps investigation team (Colonel), he said, "I don't know. If the special prosecutor asks, I will answer as I know." He further stated, "I did not draft the document, so I don't know," when asked if he received instructions from former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop to draft the document.
The special prosecutor announced that the previous day, they conducted a forced investigation into high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice regarding the appointment of former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop as ambassador to Australia and the lifting of his travel ban, and secured the mobile phones of the subjects. The special prosecutor explained that through the investigation of working-level officials from the Ministry of Justice and others at the time, they partially identified the circumstances of how the personnel verification and travel ban lifting for former Minister Lee were carried out, and the subjects of the search and seizure were specifically identified individuals based on their testimonies.
The previous day, the special prosecutor conducted a search and seizure related to allegations that the travel ban on former Minister Lee was poorly reviewed, targeting former Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae, former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung (then Vice Minister of Justice), and others. A search and seizure was also conducted on diplomatic line personnel such as former Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul and former National Security Office Director Jang Ho-jin.
Furthermore, the special prosecutor announced that they received the call records of secret phones from the Presidential Security Service, including those of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, former Minister Lee Jong-seop, and former National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-yong. Assistant Special Prosecutor Jung stated, "We are conducting analysis based on the secured call records of key figures' secret phones."
The secret phone of former President Yoon's spouse, Kim Geon-hee, was identified as one unit, and the imaging process for data replication has not yet been completed, so it has not yet been delivered to the Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor team (Special Prosecutor Min Joong-gi). The special prosecutor explained that they are reviewing whether some of the initialized data can be recovered through forensic analysis. The secret phone was confirmed to be the last device used by Mrs. Kim before its return.
Additionally, the special prosecutor plans to summon former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun to the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office on the 6th for a witness investigation. The special prosecutor notified former Minister Kim's side of the investigation schedule, but has not yet received a response regarding his attendance. The special prosecutor intends to investigate former Minister Kim with the principle of appearing before the investigative agency.  




scottchoi15@fnnews.com Choi Eun-sol Reporter