Sewol Ferry Special Prosecutor Holds Plaque Ceremony and Begins Investigation... "Following Evidence Leads to Truth"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] On the 13th, when Special Prosecutor Lee Hyun-joo for the Sewol Ferry Disaster Truth Investigation (Sewol Special Prosecutor) officially began the investigation, he said, "I believe that if we follow where the evidence points, we will reach the truth."

At the plaque unveiling ceremony of the Sewol Special Prosecutor's office set up in Samseong-dong, Seoul, the special prosecutor stated, "We will do our best to investigate the allegations of evidence tampering in the Sewol Ferry disaster."

He explained, "Although seven years have passed since the disaster, the memory is ongoing," adding, "The proof of this is the existence of our special prosecutor's office to investigate the allegations of evidence tampering in the disaster."

The special prosecutor also said, "We plan to keep all possibilities open, including allegations of tampering with closed-circuit television (CCTV), and if necessary, we will extend the investigation period."

The Sewol Special Prosecutor can investigate for 60 days starting from this day and may extend the period by 30 days with presidential approval if needed.

The composition of the Sewol Special Prosecutor's investigation team has been finalized. On the 29th of last month, special prosecutors Seo Jung-hee and Joo Jin-chul joined, and by this day, five prosecutors have been dispatched.

The special prosecutor explained, "The team is composed of prosecutors with extensive experience in special investigations and advanced crime investigations," and added, "To avoid disputes over fairness, prosecutors who worked in the Sewol Ferry Disaster Special Investigation Unit were excluded."

Special investigators, who can number up to 30, are composed of forensic (data recovery) experts and others, as this special prosecutor is focused on verifying evidence tampering. However, the full quota of 30 investigators has not been filled to allow for additional personnel to be dispatched as needed during the investigation.

Some prosecution investigation records necessary for the investigation have also been received and are under review.

The Sewol Special Prosecutor will investigate allegations of manipulation of restored Sewol CCTV data, suspicions regarding the collection process of the DVR (CCTV storage device), which is the black box of the Sewol, and the appropriateness of the then-government's response, including the Blue House, related to the DVR.

In August 2014, the prosecution restored the Sewol CCTV footage, but only video up to 8:46 a.m., about three minutes before the disaster occurred, was available, raising suspicions that the CCTV was tampered with.

In particular, the 4·16 Sewol Ferry Disaster Special Investigation Commission in 2019 requested an investigation by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, stating, "There is suspicion that the DVR claimed to have been collected by the Navy from the onboard information desk and the DVR secured by the prosecution are different."

The Special Investigation Commission suspects that the Navy and Coast Guard had secured the DVR before June 22, 2014, and later staged the collection of the DVR, during which time the DVR was likely tampered with.

Accordingly, the 'Sewol Ferry Disaster Special Investigation Unit' formed by the prosecution in 2019 investigated the DVR tampering allegations, but after the Sewol Special Prosecutor passed through the National Assembly in December last year, the investigation was transferred back to the special prosecutor.

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