‘Gobal Saju’ Son Junsung Facing Arrest Decision... "Overreach" vs "Confidence in Proof"

"Unusual Request for Arrest Warrant Skipping Summons Investigation"
'Issuance of Warrant' as a Turning Point for Investigation Success

Son Joon-sung, the Human Rights Protection Officer at Daegu High Prosecutors' Office and a key figure in the 'whistleblowing solicitation' allegations during former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's tenure, is attending the warrant hearing held on the 26th at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy reporters Choi Seok-jin, legal affairs specialist, and Kim Dae-hyun] The decision on whether to detain Son Jun-sung, former Investigation Information Policy Officer at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (currently Human Rights Protection Officer at Daegu High Prosecutors' Office) and the key suspect in the Yoon Seok-yeol prosecution 'report solicitation' scandal, will be made on the 26th.

The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (HOCI) has taken the bold step of requesting an arrest warrant without summoning Son for questioning, and the court's ruling on the warrant review is expected to serve as a gauge for predicting the speed and success of this investigation.

Lee Se-chang, the chief judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, began the pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant substantive review) for former Officer Son at 10:30 a.m. on the same day.

Upon arriving at the court, former Officer Son responded to reporters' questions asking, "Do you admit to involvement in the report solicitation?" by saying, "I will explain in detail to the judge the unfairness of the warrant request," before promptly entering the courthouse.

During the interrogation, HOCI is expected to emphasize the necessity of detention by highlighting that, based on the evidence revealed, Son, who clearly faces charges such as abuse of authority, has so far refused to appear for questioning and poses a high risk of destroying evidence.

On the other hand, Son's defense is expected to argue that, as a current prosecutor, Son has no flight risk, and since HOCI has already secured necessary evidence through searches and seizures, there is no possibility of evidence destruction, making detention unnecessary.

In particular, Son's defense is likely to stress that HOCI violated procedural rights and infringed on the suspect's right to defense by disregarding procedures in consideration of the political situation surrounding the 'presidential primary schedule,' as they claimed by revealing what they called 'intimidation texts' sent by the HOCI investigation team the previous day.

The day before, Son's defense revealed texts sent by the HOCI investigation team, claiming them to be 'intimidation messages.' In the disclosed messages, the HOCI team stated, "If you fail to appear as scheduled, we will have no choice but to proceed with compulsory investigation," and "Considering the presidential candidate primary schedule, it is necessary to conduct a prompt appearance investigation to swiftly uncover the substantive truth."

The decision on Son's detention is expected to be made late in the afternoon on the same day.

Meanwhile, there are conflicting views inside and outside the prosecution regarding the background of HOCI's immediate request for an arrest warrant following the court's dismissal of the detention warrant for Son.

Prosecutor A said, "Usually, if a detention warrant is dismissed and the suspect continues to refuse summons, a detention warrant is requested again to forcibly bring the suspect in," adding, "Considering the court's reasons for dismissal, it is hard to understand why they immediately requested an arrest warrant."

According to HOCI, the court dismissed the detention warrant for Son on the grounds that "it cannot be concluded that the suspect is likely to refuse to comply with the summons."

In this context, the prevailing view is that HOCI's request for a pre-arrest warrant, which has stricter issuance requirements than a detention warrant, without even a single summons, is beyond common sense.

A detention warrant is issued when a suspect suspected of a crime refuses or is likely to refuse to comply with a summons from investigative authorities without justifiable reason. In contrast, an arrest warrant requires concerns about flight or evidence destruction and submission of evidence materials to substantiate the criminal charges.

On the other hand, some speculate that this move indicates HOCI's confidence in proving the charges.

It is analyzed that the decision likely stems from the assessment that the evidence already secured by HOCI, such as the recorded phone calls between Kim Woong, a member of the People Power Party, and whistleblower Jo Seong-eun, as well as various attachments sent under Son's name via Telegram, sufficiently substantiates Son's charges.

In particular, the inclusion of abuse of authority in the crimes listed in the warrant suggests that HOCI has likely confirmed circumstances where Son instructed other prosecutors or investigators to draft complaints or search for court rulings.

If the court issues the warrant on this day, HOCI's investigation is expected to accelerate. The summons for another key suspect, Representative Kim, will also be expedited, and the investigation will likely focus on verifying the involvement of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol.

Conversely, if the warrant is dismissed, criticism of HOCI's investigative capabilities is expected to pour in, and the entire investigation process is likely to be disrupted.

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