In 2019, when an executive at the Anti-Corruption and Violence Department of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office at the time received a report regarding the illegal departure ban once morest former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Hak-eui, court testimony came out to the effect that he effectively blocked the investigation by saying, “I will not accept this report.”
Lee Hyun-cheol, former head of the Anyang Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, appeared as a witness at the trial of the Seoul High Prosecutor’s Office Chief Lee Seong-yoon, which was held at the hearing of the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Settlement Division 27 (Chief Judge Ok-gon Kim) on the 15th. The former head of the branch said that on June 19, 2019, the report related to this case was sent to the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office for Anti-Corruption Investigation and Command, and the day following that, he received a call from Kim Hyung-geun, then head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office. At that time, the chief of the anti-corruption division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office was the accused Lee, and he was charged with obstructing the prosecution’s investigation (abuse of power).
At the courthouse, the prosecution told the former branch chief Lee, “At the time, Kim, the chief of the investigation command, said, ‘Is this report the final opinion of the Anyang branch? Please solve it at the level of Anyang Branch. Shouldn’t that be resolved? Do you know the situation at the time? Did I say that I will not accept this report?” he asked. Then, the former head of the branch said, “I remember talking to that effect,” and testified, “I don’t think the saying ‘I’m going to do what I don’t see’ doesn’t mean that I should cover up the matter without investigating it anymore.”
Former Prosecutor Lee testified that Yoon Dae-jin, former Prosecutor General of the Ministry of Justice, called at the time and said, “I told you not to investigate Lee Kyu-won, but why are you continuing the investigation?
Reporter Sang-Jun Park speakup@donga.com
