Unprecedented Leading Presidential Candidate 'Ssangteukgeom' Investigation Could Cost Over 5 Billion Won

Usually 2 Billion... 'Deuruking 3.1 Billion'
Personnel Costs, Office Rent, Operating Expenses
Seocho-dong Top Priority, 3 Offices Needed
Considering Economic Conditions, Low-Budget Special Prosecutor

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The suspicions surrounding the Daejang-dong development in Seongnam City, entangled with presidential candidates, and the allegations of instigated accusations are expected to be decided within a week whether to appoint a special prosecutor. This is because the prosecution’s investigation into Daejang-dong is likely to conclude on the 22nd, when the detention period of key figures expires. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, also stated, "If the prosecution’s investigation is insufficient, a special prosecutor should be appointed." In political circles, there has even been a proposal for a ‘double special prosecutor’ to investigate both the Daejang-dong suspicions and the accusation-instigation allegations involving Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate.

A special prosecutor is necessary to clarify the suspicions. However, special prosecutors also cost money. Considering the economic situation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a ‘double special prosecutor’ would likely require an unprecedented budget.

◆Special Prosecutor Costs Usually Over 2 Billion KRW... Double Special Prosecutor Expected to Be the Largest Ever

So far, South Korea has appointed special prosecutors 13 times. Most of the costs were around 2 billion KRW. According to legal circles, the 2001 Lee Yong-ho Gate special prosecutor and the 2003 North Korea remittance special prosecutor spent 1.4 billion KRW, and the 2004 special prosecutor investigating corruption allegations involving close aides of President Roh Moo-hyun spent 2 billion KRW. The 2005 Russian oil field development special prosecutor spent 1.4 billion KRW, and the 2008 BBK special prosecutor also cost 2 billion KRW. Among the most recent special prosecutors, the Park Geun-hye administration and Choi Soon-sil gate special prosecutor (2016) spent about 2.5 billion KRW, which was the highest budget at the time. The 2018 Druking public opinion manipulation special prosecutor exceeded this with 3.14 billion KRW.

Special prosecutor costs typically include personnel expenses for the special prosecutor and investigators, office rental fees and monthly rent, and operating expenses such as meal costs. The cost of simultaneous special prosecutors is expected to be more than twice that of a single special prosecutor, potentially setting a record high in terms of scale and manpower.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆Variables of Special Prosecutors in the COVID-19 Era... Can They Meet Public Expectations?

The Daejang-dong and accusation-instigation special prosecutors must operate amid the variable of COVID-19. All members of the special prosecutor team must complete vaccination and be cautious of breakthrough infections. Legal circles suggest the need for a ‘low-budget special prosecutor’ considering the recent economic situation, fiscal capacity, and public opinion.

Office rental fees are a significant expense separate from personnel costs. Special prosecutor offices are usually prioritized in Seocho-dong, Gangnam-gu, where courts and prosecutors’ offices are located, but Dogok-dong and Yangjae-dong are also possible. According to the real estate industry, small to medium-sized offices in Seocho-dong require a basic deposit of 100 million KRW and a monthly rent of over 5 million KRW. Larger offices are even more expensive. Moreover, a special prosecutor cannot use just one office. They need at least three offices for general office work, meeting rooms, and investigation rooms. In the case of the Choi Soon-sil special prosecutor, three floors totaling 420 pyeong near Yeoksam Station were used as offices, with a deposit of 600 million KRW and a monthly rent of 60 million KRW. A legal insider said, "For the Daejang-dong and accusation-instigation special prosecutors, it might be important to see if they can manage the expenses frugally and prudently to meet public expectations."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Large-scale Legal Gate... Difficulty in Finding Suitable Special Prosecutor Candidates

Special prosecutors are broadly divided into standing and ad hoc types. Standing special prosecutors are composed and operated according to legally defined methods, while ad hoc special prosecutors are operated by creating individual laws depending on the case. The biggest difference is the authority to recommend special prosecutor candidates.

For standing special prosecutors, a special prosecutor recommendation committee consisting of seven members ? including the Deputy Minister of Justice, Deputy Chief of the Court Administration Office, President of the Korean Bar Association, and four members recommended by the National Assembly ? recommends two candidates, from which the president appoints one. For ad hoc special prosecutors, the authority to recommend candidates can be assigned to any institution through parliamentary agreement. The institution with the authority recommends two candidates, and the president appoints one. However, all special prosecutors in South Korea’s history have been ad hoc. The Daejang-dong and accusation-instigation suspicions currently under discussion are also likely to be ad hoc. Although a ‘institutional special prosecutor’ using the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) is possible, there has been no discussion on this.

Legal circles express concern that there are no suitable candidates to recommend as special prosecutors. Both the Daejang-dong and accusation-instigation suspicions involve many legal professionals, leading to the term ‘large-scale legal gate.’ It is expected to be difficult to find someone unconnected to the key figures of the suspicions to lead the special prosecutor investigation. The Daejang-dong suspicions involve former Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soon-il, former lawmaker Kwak Sang-do, and former special prosecutor Park Young-soo. The core of the accusation-instigation suspicions involves current prosecutors such as Prosecutor Son Jun-sung. A lawyer in Seocho-dong predicted, "There is a high possibility that new controversies will arise from the candidate recommendation stage."

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