Will Wolseong Nuclear Plant Warrant Become Another Nuke Case?

Wolseong Nuclear Plant Economic Manipulation Case
Civil Servant Faces Detention Warrant Hearing
Proceeding Shortly After Prosecutor General's Return to Duty
If Warrant Is Dismissed, Significant Blow Expected to Yoon

Yoon Seok-yeol, Prosecutor General [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Jo, Chaeseok Moon] Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's fate will once again be decided at the 'nuclear power plant investigation warrant hearing.' The showdown that leads to inspection and disciplinary action, and the fierce battle on another front targeting the current administration, are reaching a climax.

Regarding the allegations of economic manipulation of the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 under the current administration, the Daejeon District Court will soon decide whether to approve the arrest warrants for three Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy officials, which the prosecution requested on the 2nd. The charges applied are damage to public electronic records, trespassing, and violation of the Board of Audit and Inspection Act. The schedule for the hearing and the timing of the warrant issuance have not been set as of the morning of the 3rd. The court listens to the prosecution and the suspects' opinions during the warrant hearing and reviews the submitted materials before deciding whether to issue the warrant. The result is announced late in the afternoon on the day of the hearing or the following morning.

This warrant request was made just two days after Prosecutor General Yoon resumed his duties. On the 2nd, Yoon reportedly received an investigation report from the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office and accepted the investigation team's opinion that swift detention of the Ministry officials was necessary. Previously, the Criminal Division 5 of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Sang-hyun), which is investigating this case, had reported the warrant request to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office for the first time on the 16th of last month, but the investigation could not accelerate during the week that Yoon was suspended from duty.

The investigation team is said to be confident about the warrant issuance. In particular, during Yoon's absence, they supplemented the warrant contents by adding the charge of damage to public electronic records, which carries a heavier sentence. They judged that the warrant issuance possibility was low with only the violation of the Board of Audit and Inspection Act. The prosecution plans to speed up the investigation targeting higher-ups who ordered the deletion of data as soon as they secure the custody of the Ministry officials for whom the warrants were requested. Targets include Baek Woon-kyu, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; Chae Hee-bong, former Blue House Industrial Policy Secretary (currently President of Korea Gas Corporation); and Park Won-joo, former Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office.

If the warrant, thrown as a 'winning card' immediately upon his return to work, is dismissed, the blow to Prosecutor General Yoon could be as severe as disciplinary action or suspension. If a dismissal proposal is passed at the upcoming Ministry of Justice disciplinary committee, Yoon will lose his position as Prosecutor General again. The absence of the head, along with the dismissal of the warrant, is likely to cause setbacks in the investigation of 'living power.' There is also a possibility that Yoon will face criticism for recklessly requesting the warrant as retaliation by labeling the pressure on his position as a 'political investigation.'

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