Prosecutors' Office, Will It Launch Investigation into Yoon's Counterattack 'Park Ji-won Accusation'?

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (HCIA) has officially begun reviewing the complaint submitted by former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's side, which raised allegations that National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Ji-won was behind the 'accusation-for-prosecution' scheme. Amid additional complaints claiming that Director Park interfered in the election by spreading false information, calls for a swift investigation into Director Park are also mounting.

According to the legal community on the 17th, the HCIA has started investigating whether the complaint against Director Park falls under crimes that the HCIA can investigate and whether there is sufficient evidence to substantiate the criminal charges.

Earlier, on the 13th, former Prosecutor General Yoon's side filed a complaint with the HCIA against three individuals: whistleblower Jo Seong-eun, Director Park who met with her on the 11th of last month before the report was published, and an unidentified person presumed to have been present that day. They were accused of violating the National Intelligence Service Act, Public Official Election Act, and Information and Communications Network Act.

Two days later, on the 15th, an additional complaint was filed, alleging that Director Park violated his political neutrality obligation and interfered in the election by spreading false information. Regarding violations of the National Intelligence Service Act and the Public Official Election Act, former Prosecutor General Yoon's side took issue with Director Park's public statement that "I was the first to expose the former Yongsan Tax Office Chief Yoon Woo-jin case in the National Assembly. I have all the materials. My silence benefits Yoon Seok-yeol."

In response, the HCIA is deliberating whether to formally book Director Park and Ms. Jo. Under the HCIA Act, crimes under Articles 21 (political involvement) and 22 (abuse of authority) of the National Intelligence Service Act are defined as high-ranking official crimes that the HCIA can directly investigate, but it is known that they are seeking more concrete clues regarding the criminal charges.

The issue is that there are calls for the HCIA to promptly decide on whether to investigate Director Park and Ms. Jo. Previously, the HCIA launched a forced investigation into the office of People Power Party lawmaker Kim Woong and the home and office of former Deputy Director of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Investigation and Policy Division Son Jun-sung (currently Human Rights Protection Officer at Daegu High Prosecutors' Office) just four days after receiving the complaint. It took only two days to receive the complaint from the Citizens' Action for Judicial Justice and complete the complainant investigation.

The HCIA has stated that it will review various matters, including whether to book the individuals, even during the Chuseok holiday period, but unlike the cases of lawmaker Kim and prosecutor Son, it seems there are limits to speeding up the process. In the cases of lawmaker Kim and prosecutor Son, some contents of the complaint and Telegram messages had been partially confirmed in advance, and the prosecution had already started a fact-finding investigation.

A lawyer formerly with the prosecution also explained, "The case filed based on the meeting between Director Park and Ms. Jo involves many legal issues that the HCIA must consider internally," adding, "It also does not seem easy to apply the charge of violating the political neutrality obligation of the NIS Director to the additional complaint."

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