Concerns Over Prosecution Investigation Disruption Following Death of Director at Jeonguiyeon Shelter

Police Investigate Autopsy and Cause of Death... Nearby Individuals Complain of Pressure Saying "It's Difficult Due to Search and Seizure"

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Yoon Mee-hyang is leaving her office at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the morning of the 8th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] Son Mo (60), the director of 'Peace Our Home (Mapo Shelter),' a living space for victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery operated by the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeokdae), was found dead on the 7th, prompting the police to conduct an autopsy. Son's funeral was set up on the morning of the 8th at Severance Hospital in Sinchon, Seoul.

The Paju Police Station in Gyeonggi announced that they requested the National Forensic Service to perform an autopsy on Son's body, which was scheduled for the morning of the 8th. Although the police consider the possibility of homicide to be low, they decided to proceed with the autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Analysis of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showed that Son entered his apartment in downtown Paju at 10:57 a.m. on the 6th and did not leave afterward. No other signs of intrusion into the home were found. However, no notes presumed to be a suicide note were discovered at Son's residence. The police plan to investigate the circumstances of death by conducting digital forensic work on Mr. A's mobile phone.

Son was found dead in the bathroom of his home on the night of the 6th. A colleague from the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (the predecessor of Jeonguiyeokdae), unable to contact Son, reported it to the fire department. Police and fire officials who arrived at around 10:35 p.m. on the same day opened the door and found Mr. A deceased in the bathroom. The Memorial and Jeonguiyeokdae plan to receive mourners at the Severance Hospital funeral hall once the autopsy is completed.

The prosecution's investigation into allegations of accounting fraud at Jeonguiyeokdae appears inevitably disrupted. The Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office, which is investigating the case, stated immediately after Son's death, "There was no record of investigating the deceased in relation to the Jeonguiyeokdae complaint case, nor was there any summons for investigation." However, Jeonguiyeokdae pointed to the excessive prosecution investigation, including the search and seizure of the Mapo Shelter, as the reason for Son's suicide. Previously, the prosecution had searched the Mapo Shelter, where Son was director, as well as the Jeonguiyeokdae office and the War and Women's Human Rights Museum, which is the address of the Jeongdaehyeop office.

It is known that Son, who died, said to those around him on the 21st of last month after the prosecution's search and seizure of the shelter, "The search and seizure is difficult." Lee Na-young, director of Jeonguiyeokdae, stated in an obituary released in front of the Mapo Shelter the day before, "After the sudden prosecution search and seizure, he expressed psychological distress, feeling as if his entire life was being denied." Yoon Mi-hyang, a member of the Democratic Party and former director of Jeonguiyeokdae, wrote on Facebook, "Reporters set up cameras outside the gate and broadcast live, making it seem as if the shelter was a den of criminals, and the prosecution raided the shelter and conducted a search and seizure." However, the prosecution stated, "We will make further efforts to swiftly and unwaveringly uncover the truth."

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