The Corruption Investigation Office to Hold Prosecutors' Meeting Tomorrow... Will There Be Additional Statements on the Controversy Over 'Communication Surveillance and Illegal Searches'?

Kim Jin-wook, Chief of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency, is passing by the members of the People Power Party holding a party meeting in front of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting room on the 30th of last month. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HCIC) will hold a prosecutors' meeting on the 11th attended by all affiliated prosecutors to discuss current issues, including the recently controversial 'telecommunication data inquiry' matter.

Amid ongoing revelations of cases where the HCIC accessed telecommunication data of journalists, politicians, and civilians who are not high-ranking officials under investigation, sparking a 'surveillance' controversy, attention is focused on what stance the HCIC will take.

According to the legal community on the 10th, the HCIC will hold a closed prosecutors' meeting from 2 p.m. on the 11th, attended by HCIC Chief Kim Jin-wook, Deputy Director Yeo Woon-guk, and all HCIC prosecutors.

Although the HCIC has not disclosed the agenda, it is expected that major issues such as the recently controversial 'telecommunication data inquiry' and the 'illegal search and seizure' issue raised by the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team through an immediate appeal will be discussed.

It was confirmed that last year the HCIC accessed telecommunication data not only of about 160 journalists from legal or political departments of dozens of media outlets and four foreign correspondents but also family members of some reporters.

Furthermore, telecommunication data inquiries were made on opposition politicians such as Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, and his wife Kim Geon-hee, Kim Ki-hyun, the party's floor leader, Kim Do-eup, the policy committee chairman, and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, as well as civic group leaders critical of the HCIC, the minor children of Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon, and fan club members, fueling the 'surveillance' controversy.

Meanwhile, regarding the 'Lee Seong-yoon High Prosecutor's Office indictment leak' case, the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team, which was subjected to a search and seizure by the HCIC, filed a quasi-appeal with the Seoul Central District Court on the 5th, arguing that the two searches conducted by the HCIC on November 26 and 29 last year were illegal.

At that time, the investigation team claimed that the HCIC's search warrants were requested based on charges that clearly did not constitute the crime of leaking official secrets; that prosecutors not belonging to the investigation team falsely prepared the warrant request and investigation records to make it appear as if the investigation team was conducting the investigation when indicting the high prosecutor, thereby deceiving the court to obtain the warrants; that dispatched police officers participated in the search and seizure contrary to the purpose of the HCIC Act; and that the names of the email inboxes listed in the search warrant and the actual target email inboxes differed, yet the search proceeded without obtaining a new warrant, asserting that the HCIC's search and seizure were illegal.

At the prosecutors' meeting on the 11th, it is expected that the HCIC will discuss whether to provide additional explanations or statements regarding these controversies, maintain its existing position that 'there is no illegality,' and if issuing a statement, what stance it will take.

Additionally, the meeting will review the progress of investigations into cases in which candidate Yoon is involved, such as the 'report solicitation' allegation and the 'judge surveillance document' case, and exchange opinions between the investigation team and leadership on whether it is possible to complete the investigations and announce the results before the presidential election, which is less than 60 days away.

Originally, the HCIC planned to hold the prosecutors' meeting last week, but it was postponed after one affiliated staff member tested positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit decided not to prosecute regarding the case in which a civic group filed a complaint against Director Kim related to the 'emperor investigation' allegations triggered by the escort of High Prosecutor Lee Seong-yoon's official vehicle and allegations of unfair stock acquisition.

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