"Lack of Necessity for Compulsory Investigation"…Court Rejects Park Won-soon Communication Warrant (Comprehensive)

Mobile Phone Digital Forensics Underway
Police Investigate Case Filed by Gaseyeon
Attention on Whether Sexual Harassment Facts Will Emerge

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The court dismissed the communication warrant intended to verify the call records of the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon’s mobile phones.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the 17th, the Seoul Northern District Court dismissed the communication warrant requested by the police and prosecuted by the prosecution for three mobile phones of former Mayor Park, stating "there is insufficient necessity for compulsory investigation." Earlier, on the 14th, the police applied for a communication warrant for a total of three mobile phones: one found at the place where the late former Mayor Park was found dead and two others registered under his personal name.

There was anticipation that if the police checked the communication records and conducted digital forensics on the late former Mayor Park’s mobile phones, clues regarding the sexual harassment and the leak of the accusation might emerge during the process. However, with the dismissal of the communication warrant, digital forensic work remains the only means to clarify the suspicions. The police stated that digital forensics will proceed under the direction of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office and that the procedure will be carried out in consultation with the bereaved family. The password unlocking work will be handled by the police analysis team.

However, there are criticisms that digital forensics has limitations in verifying the sexual harassment allegations. The police have drawn a clear line, stating, "The forensic work is limited to investigating the circumstances of death and is unrelated to the suspicion of information leakage or the sexual harassment accusation case." According to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Regulation No. 991, "Regulations on the Collection, Analysis, and Management of Digital Evidence (Full Revision)," the seizure, search, and verification of digital evidence must be conducted within the scope necessary for investigation and strictly comply with legal procedures.

Meanwhile, the police have officially launched an investigation into the case where the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute (Gaseyeon) accused Seoul city officials of neglecting and tolerating the sexual harassment by the late former Mayor Park. Attention is focused on whether the substance of the sexual harassment will be revealed through this. The Women and Youth Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated on the same day, "We will verify the facts of various suspicions additionally presented by women’s groups, etc. We will also review whether such neglect and aid constitute dereliction of duty under current law and whether compulsory investigation such as issuing a seizure warrant is possible, and conduct an investigation accordingly." On the 10th, Gaseyeon filed a police complaint against Seoul city officials, including Seo Jeong-hyeop, the first deputy mayor, for aiding and abetting sexual harassment by abuse of authority in the course of duty.

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