Prosecutor General Approved Before Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department Seized Spokesperson's Work Phone

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] It has been reported that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department obtained approval from Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo before seizing the official mobile phones used by former and current spokespersons of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

According to the legal community on the 8th, the Inspection Division 3 of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Deok-gon) informed the spokesperson's office that they had the Prosecutor General's approval when they seized the spokespersons' official mobile phones on the 29th of last month in the form of voluntary submission, stating that they would investigate the 'allegations of report solicitation' and the 'allegations regarding documents related to Yoon Seok-yeol candidate's mother-in-law.'

The Inspection Department took the mobile phones used by former Supreme Prosecutors' Office spokespersons Kwon Soon-jung and Lee Chang-soo, as well as current spokesperson Seo In-seon, in the form of voluntary submission. These phones were used by the spokespersons for media response purposes. It is known that Spokesperson Seo used this phone until September and then switched to a new device, which was reset and kept in storage.

The Inspection Department conducted digital forensic work on these phones. While submitting the phone, Spokesperson Seo requested the Inspection Department to ask the former spokespersons, who were the users of the phones, if they wished to observe the forensic process according to the usual forensic procedures, but this request was denied.

On the 5th, when the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Division (Public Officials Corruption Investigation Office, POGO) came to conduct a search and seizure, the Inspection Department handed over these phones and the forensic data. The legal community points out that such actions by the Inspection Department could be interpreted as media surveillance. There is also suspicion that the two agencies had prior consultations regarding the POGO's search and seizure process. In response, criticism has arisen that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office conducted "subcontracted inspection."

On the 6th, when the voluntary submission fact was belatedly revealed, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department explained, "We voluntarily received and secured the official mobile phones in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the Criminal Procedure Act," adding, "During the forensic stage under the Criminal Procedure Act, the current custodian should be given the opportunity to observe and be notified if relevant information emerges, but no information could be restored, so there was no possibility of post-notification."

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