[Exclusive] Prosecution Summons Ulsan Deputy Mayor Song Byeong-gi for Investigation

Song Byung-gi, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Ulsan City, is entering the Central District Prosecutors' Office building in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 13th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The prosecution investigating allegations of Blue House’s covert investigation and election interference summoned Song Byung-gi, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Ulsan City, on the morning of the 13th. This is the first interrogation conducted after the court dismissed the arrest warrant against him.

The Public Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Tae-eun) is conducting the investigation after summoning Deputy Mayor Song this morning. Since his first summons to the prosecution on December 6 last year, Song has been investigated five times in total. The prosecution requested an arrest warrant for Deputy Mayor Song on December 31 of the same year, but it was dismissed by the court.

The prosecution is expected to reapply for an arrest warrant for Deputy Mayor Song as soon as the supplementary investigation is completed.

Deputy Mayor Song is accused of conspiring with Blue House officials to discuss election strategies and pledges to ensure the election of Song Cheol-ho as Mayor of Ulsan ahead of the June 13, 2018 local elections (violation of the Public Official Election Act). In October 2017, Song delivered suspicions of corruption involving Park Ki-sung, Chief Secretary, and associates of former Ulsan Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon to Moon, an administrative officer at the Blue House’s Civil Affairs Office.

Song Byung-gi, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Ulsan City, is entering the Central District Prosecutors' Office building in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 13th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The prosecution regards the police investigation around former Ulsan Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon, triggered by Deputy Mayor Song’s tip-off, as illegal election interference. The prosecution suspects that Deputy Mayor Song, together with the Blue House, systematically intervened in last year’s election to ensure Mayor Song’s victory. They also view the Blue House’s assistance in establishing Mayor Song’s pledges, such as the plan to build a public hospital in Ulsan ahead of the 2018 local elections, as a violation of civil servants’ duty of political neutrality.

The additional summons of Deputy Mayor Song by the prosecution draws attention as it comes after personnel reshuffles that have effectively 'disrupted' the investigation team targeting the current administration. There are also speculations that Kim Tae-eun, head of the Public Investigation Division 2 who leads the election interference investigation, will be included in the upcoming personnel promotions expected to take place within this week. It is also analyzed that the prosecution is collecting necessary evidence to prevent any slowdown in the investigation speed under the successor following the personnel changes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.