Chief Prosecutor Leading 'Daejangdong Allegations' Investigation Tests Positive for COVID-19... Investigation Schedule 'All Stop'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Among the six members of the prosecution investigation team probing the Daejang-dong development lobbying and preferential treatment allegations who tested positive for COVID-19, the lead chief prosecutor in charge of the investigation has also been confirmed infected.

According to the legal community on the 7th, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Yoo Kyung-pil, the lead prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office dedicated investigation team (Team Leader: Kim Tae-hoon, 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor), tested positive. Currently, including Deputy Chief Prosecutor Yoo, three prosecutors and three investigators from the Economic Crime Criminal Division have tested positive.

The prosecution, considering that Deputy Chief Prosecutor Yoo will be unable to come to work for at least a week due to treatment, has informed that Deputy Chief Prosecutor Yoo Jin-seung from the Crime Proceeds Recovery Division, recently added to the investigation team, will temporarily take on the role of lead prosecutor. However, although Deputy Chief Prosecutor Yoo Kyung-pil is unable to provide direct face-to-face leadership, he is expected to continue communicating with the investigation team through indirect means.

Currently, all members of the investigation team have undergone polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and are awaiting results, with those testing negative expected to mostly return on the 8th.

Inside and outside the prosecution, speculation arose that the department dinner held on the evening of the 4th, when Mr. Kim and lawyer Nam were detained, might be related to the current situation. However, a prosecution official clarified that there were no violations of quarantine guidelines by the investigation team.

The prosecution originally planned to interrogate Mr. Kim and lawyer Nam on the 5th, but the investigation was canceled due to confirmed cases within the building, causing some delay in the investigation schedule. With no major suspect interrogations even over the weekend, the investigation has effectively been at a standstill for three days.

Considering that the initial detention period for Mr. Kim and lawyer Nam expires on the 12th and the need to accelerate the investigation, the first interrogation after detention is expected to take place on the 8th.

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