All Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Officials Released on Bail in 'Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Data Deletion' Case

Daejeon District Court / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Two of the three Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy officials indicted for involvement in the mass deletion of data related to the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant have been released on bail. It has been 118 days since their detention on December 4 last year.

On the 1st, the Criminal Division 11 of Daejeon District Court (Presiding Judge Park Heonhaeng) accepted the bail requests for Director-level official A (53) and Secretary B (45). Earlier, the defendants argued the necessity of bail at the bail hearing held on the 30th of last month, stating that "detention does not guarantee the right to a fair defense."

A and middle manager C (50, indicted without detention) were charged with ordering or tacitly allowing the deletion of data related to the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant in November 2019, just before the Board of Audit and Inspection requested the submission of materials. Their subordinate B is accused of entering the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy office at the Government Sejong Complex around 11 p.m. on December 1, 2019, the day before the meeting with the Board of Audit and Inspection auditor, and deleting 530 files related to the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant over approximately two hours. B was also indicted and is on trial together with them.

Their next trial, which will be held with all defendants out on bail, is scheduled for the 20th.

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