Special Prosecutor Chae Sang-byeong, 'Lee Jong-seop Escape Suspicion' Ministry of Foreign Affairs Raid

[Financial News] The special prosecutor team of Chae Sang-byeong (Special Prosecutor Lee Myung-hyun) is raiding the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 6th to investigate suspicions related to the appointment of Lee Jong-seop, former Minister of National Defense, as ambassador to Australia.
The special prosecutor team announced that they sent an investigation team to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of that day to execute a search and seizure warrant targeting offices where related materials are stored, such as the Minister's Office and the Personnel Planning Office.
Previously, on the 4th, the special prosecutor also conducted a search and seizure to investigate the appointment process of the former minister, targeting former Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yeol, and others. Additionally, personnel from the Presidential Office who were involved in the command chain related to the appointment, such as Jang Ho-jin, former Director of National Security at the Presidential Office, were also included in the forced investigation.
On the 5th, they raided the Ministry of Justice building in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. The special prosecutor team conducted a search and seizure targeting related materials stored in the offices of the Minister, Vice Minister, and the Director-General of Immigration and Foreign Policy.
The former minister was reported to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) on suspicion of exerting external pressure in the process of transferring and retrieving the case of Marine Corps Corporal Chae, who died in the line of duty in July 2023.
At that time, the CIO imposed a travel ban on the former minister, but in March of the previous year, when he was appointed as an ambassador and was in the process of leaving the country, the objection request from the Ministry of Justice was accepted, and the travel ban was lifted.
Jeong Min-young, deputy special prosecutor of Chae Sang-byeong, stated in a regular briefing the previous day, "Broadly speaking, we believe that the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Presidential Office played various roles in the appointment of the former minister as ambassador to Australia."  



scottchoi15@fnnews.com Choi Eun-sol Reporter