The Corruption Investigation Office Submits 3rd Floor Hallway CCTV Footage of Prosecutor General Lee Seong-yoon's Investigation to the Prosecutors Today

Kim Jin-wook, Chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HCIC) has decided to submit the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing the entrance and exit of the hallway outside Room 342 at the Government Gwacheon Complex, the undisclosed investigation location for Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, to the prosecution.

On the 6th, the HCIC stated, "To put an end to unnecessary controversy regarding the interview investigation of Chief Prosecutor Lee on the 7th of last month, we submitted sufficient CCTV footage on the 31st of last month to prove that no false official documents were created. However, since the prosecution requested additional footage, we plan to submit the CCTV footage showing the entrance and exit of the hallway outside Room 342 today."

The HCIC added, "The prosecution requested the footage showing investigators entering and exiting Room 342 where the interview investigation took place, so we are providing it additionally. There is no CCTV installed inside Room 342, so no footage exists from inside the room."

The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office's "Kim Hak-ui Exit Ban Investigation Team" (led by Lee Jeong-seop, Head of Criminal Division 3) is investigating allegations including false official document creation against HCIC Chief Kim Jin-wook and Deputy Director Yeo Woon-guk, who reportedly wrote a false investigation report after conducting a private interview with Chief Prosecutor Lee at the HCIC, following a whistleblower's accusation regarding the illegal exit ban incident involving former Vice Minister Kim.

Earlier, the prosecution confirmed that the interview took place in Room 342 on the 3rd floor and requested the HCIC to provide internal CCTV footage of the building on the day of the investigation to verify the appearances of attendees entering and exiting the room. However, the footage provided by the HCIC to the prosecution did not include the hallway footage on the 3rd floor.

Accordingly, on the 2nd, the prosecution requested the HCIC to preserve all CCTV footage within the HCIC building on the day of the investigation. Since the CCTV footage is automatically deleted after one month, on the 7th, there were expectations that if the HCIC did not accept the preservation request, the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office might proceed with forced investigations such as seizure and search.

Meanwhile, Kim, who was expected to enter the building through the rear gate of Building 5 (the exclusive entrance for the HCIC), which was blocked off from the press starting that day, avoided the reporters gathered at the rear gate and entered through the main gate. This move appears to be a response to the recent controversy over the "imperial escort" of Chief Prosecutor Lee, which led to difficult questions from the press.

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