Prosecutors Conduct Search and Seizure at Ministry of Industry and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power over 'Wolseong Unit 1' (Comprehensive)

"Strict Punishment for Socially Powerful" Yoon Seok-yeol's Remark Sparks
Formal Investigation Switches to Forced Search After One Week
Nationwide Targets Including Directors' Homes and Mobile Phones
Search Conducted at Daegu Korea Gas Corporation Headquarters

Wolseong Unit 1, which has been shut down, at Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant in Yangnam-myeon, Gyeongju City (right) [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] On the 5th, the prosecution conducted simultaneous raids and seizures at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy building, the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) headquarters, and the Korea Gas Corporation headquarters in connection with the 'early shutdown case of Wolseong Unit 1.'

The Criminal Division 5 of Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Sanghyun Lee) sent prosecutors and investigators to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy at the Government Sejong Complex this morning to secure materials related to Wolseong Unit 1. This marked a shift to a forced investigation just one week after the case was formally assigned and the investigation began. It is known that the prosecution is conducting raids and seizures targeting the Energy Policy Office, Planning and Coordination Office, and the Spokesperson's Office of the Ministry. In particular, it appears that they are extensively securing materials related to personnel in charge of nuclear power plant affairs from 2017 to 2018. The homes and mobile phones of related bureau chiefs and section chiefs were also reportedly subject to seizure.

The prosecution also sent investigators to the KHNP headquarters in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, to conduct simultaneous raids and seizures. There, the prosecution secured related documents and files centered on the responsible departments and reportedly took the mobile phones of the personnel in charge at the time. The prosecution is also conducting a raid this morning at the Korea Gas Corporation headquarters located in Daegu. This is believed to be related to Heebong Chae, the president of the Gas Corporation, who served as the Presidential Secretary for Industrial Policy at the Blue House during the economic feasibility evaluation of Wolseong Unit 1.

Yoon Seok-yeol, Prosecutor General
Photo by Yonhap News

This case centers on allegations that the government downplayed the economic feasibility of Wolseong Unit 1 and deleted related materials. After the Board of Audit and Inspection released audit results supporting these allegations, the opposition party filed a complaint with the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office on the 22nd of last month, accusing former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Woon-gyu Baek and others of abuse of authority. The Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office assigned the case to the Criminal Division 5, a department specializing in anti-corruption crimes, on the 28th of the same month. After receiving the case, the prosecution also obtained 'investigative reference materials' from the Board of Audit and Inspection. After reviewing the materials, the prosecution reportedly obtained a warrant from the court and launched a surprise raid and seizure operation.

The legal community has been paying attention to the fact that this case is being investigated by the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office. The current chief prosecutor of Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office is Prosecutor Doobong Lee, who is one of Prosecutor General Seok-youl Yoon's close associates. The head of the investigation, Chief Prosecutor Sanghyun Lee, worked with Prosecutor General Yoon in 2013 on the National Intelligence Service online comment manipulation investigation team. In a recent leadership lecture for newly appointed chief prosecutors, Prosecutor General Yoon stated, "We must become a prosecution that punishes crimes by socially powerful figures severely for the people." However, it is expected to be difficult to clarify the involvement of higher-ups such as the Blue House even with today's raids. Earlier, the Board of Audit and Inspection announced that Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy officials entered the Sejong Complex office at dawn on the day of the audit and deleted 444 related documents.

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