Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Summons Former Presidential Secretary Lee Won-mo, Requests Additional Investigators

[Financial News] The Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Team, led by Chae Sang-byeong, summoned Lee Won-mo, former Secretary for Personnel Affairs at the Office of the President of South Korea, to investigate allegations regarding the appointment of former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup as Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Australia. The investigation is expected to focus on whether former President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed the appointment of Lee, who was under investigation as a suspect at the time.
Jung Min-young, assistant special prosecutor for the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Team, announced at a regular briefing on the 1st that Lee Won-mo was being questioned from 10 a.m. as a suspect on charges of harboring a criminal and abuse of authority. Jung stated, "We plan to investigate the background of former President Yoon's appointment of Lee Jong-sup as Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Australia, the process of personnel verification, and the instructions issued by the Office of the President of South Korea to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other agencies."
That morning, Lee Won-mo arrived at the special prosecutor’s office but did not respond to reporters’ questions about whether Lee Jong-sup’s nomination as Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Australia was directed by former President Yoon.
In December 2023, when Lee Jong-sup was nominated as Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Australia, Lee Won-mo was in charge of personnel affairs at the Office of the President of South Korea. The special prosecutor’s team reportedly obtained testimony that Lee instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prepare the appointment process. In July, the team also seized his mobile phone after obtaining a warrant.
In accordance with the revised special prosecutor law, the team requested the dispatch of 13 additional investigators: four from the prosecution, two from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), four from the police, two from the Military Police (MP), and one from the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK). Their willingness to be dispatched has been confirmed, and many are expected to begin work as early as the next day.
Meanwhile, Jung Min-young explained that, unlike the Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor Team (led by Min Joong-ki), there have been no requests for reinstatement or signs of resistance from prosecutors within the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Team following the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office.


scottchoi15@fnnews.com Choi Eun-sol Reporter