Prosecutor General's Inspection Department Seizes Spokesperson's Work Phone... Former Spokesperson's Phone Forensically Examined Without Notification or Observation

Investigation into the 'Alleged Complaint Solicitation' Case Involving Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's Mother-in-Law

Handongsoo, Chief of Inspection Division, Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] It was confirmed on the 6th that the Inspection Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (Head of Inspection Department Han Dong-soo) seized and conducted forensic analysis on the official phones used by spokespersons of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office during the period when former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol was in office.

This action was taken under the pretext of investigating cases related to former Prosecutor General Yoon's mother-in-law and the 'report solicitation' allegations. However, controversy has arisen as the Inspection Department did not notify the former spokespersons who actually used the official phones about the seizure nor allow them to observe the forensic procedures.

According to the legal community on the 6th, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department seized the official mobile phones of the spokespersons on the 29th of last month in the form of voluntary submission. These phones were used by former spokespersons Kwon Soon-jung and Lee Chang-soo, and the device used by current spokesperson Seo In-seon until September.

The Inspection Department not only failed to notify former spokespersons Kwon and Lee, who actually used the devices, about the seizure but also proceeded with the forensic analysis without asking if they wished to observe, extracting data without any observers present.

Typically, forensic observation occurs twice: once during imaging (saving phone information to another medium) and once when extracting relevant files from the imaged data.

Especially during data extraction, observers can raise objections if unrelated data to the ongoing investigation or inspection is extracted.

Spokesperson Seo requested the Inspection Department to notify the former spokespersons about the seizure and confirm their intention to observe, but the Inspection Department reportedly ignored this request. Furthermore, the Inspection Department allegedly told Seo that informing the former spokespersons of this matter would constitute a breach of official confidentiality.

At that time, the Inspection Department argued that having an administrative staff member from the spokesperson's office, who manages the official phones, observe the process was sufficient. However, that staff member reportedly refused to observe, citing that they did not actually use the phones.

Ultimately, it appears the Inspection Department secured the data by conducting the phone forensic analysis without the users' observation.

In 2019, an Inspection Department head appointed just before former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's resignation fiercely clashed with former Minister Choo Mi-ae over handling cases such as the 'Channel A coercion attempt' incident and led disciplinary actions against former Prosecutor General Yoon.

Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye decided to renew the term of the Inspection Department head Han Dong-soo last month, just before the expiration of his two-year term.

Legal circles are expressing concerns that Inspection Department head Han, who has been zealously collecting misconduct related to former Prosecutor General Yoon, may have effectively started censoring media investigations under the guise of inspection by seizing the spokespersons' official phones and conducting forensic analysis without the presence of the users.

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