Full-scale investigation into Gadeokdo attack on President Lee designated as terrorism...Task force to be set up in Busan

[Financial News] A police task force (TF) to investigate the attack on President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea on Gadeokdo in Busan Metropolitan City, which has been designated as a terrorist act, will be set up in Busan Metropolitan City.
The National Office of Investigation stated on the 25th, "We plan to operate an investigation task force to uncover the full truth, including whether there was any cover-up or downplaying by those behind the attack or possible accomplices, whether evidence was destroyed during the initial response, and why the incident was not initially designated as a terrorist act." The task force will begin operations on the 26th.
The police explained that the "Gadeokdo Terror Attack Investigation Task Force," which will consist of two investigative teams with a total of 45 personnel, will be established at the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency. However, to ensure fairness and neutrality, the investigation will be managed directly by the National Office of Investigation, excluding investigative command and reporting by the commissioner of the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency.
In particular, the police are reportedly focusing on recruiting investigators who hold a license to practice law. Because there is limited precedent for investigating terrorism charges and the reasons why the case was not initially designated as terrorism are themselves subject to investigation, authorities believe that careful legal review is essential.
On January 2, 2024, when he was leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea was stabbed in the neck with a weapon wielded by a 67-year-old man surnamed Kim during a visit to Gadeokdo in Busan Metropolitan City. He underwent emergency surgery and was hospitalized for treatment.
At the time, figures in and around the DPK raised suspicions that the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the Counter-Terrorism Center, and other agencies under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration failed to designate the incident as terrorism, and that they downplayed and distorted the case by destroying evidence at the scene.
The current administration has concluded that the attack on President Lee meets the requirements for terrorism under the Act on Counter-Terrorism for the Protection of Citizens and Public Security, and officially designated it as a terrorist act on the 20th.

psh@fnnews.com Reporter Park Seong-hyun Reporter