Former Minister Baek Woon-gyu Appears for Warrant Hearing... "Handled Matters According to Legal Regulations"

On the 15th, Former Minister Baek's Detention Hearing... Expectation of Arrest Warrant
Investigation Accelerates into Blue House Higher-Ups' Involvement
Further Probes Likely into Other Ministries Including Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Education, and National Assembly Inspection Office

Baek Woon-kyu, former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, who is accused of forcing the resignation of heads of power generation public enterprises under the Ministry of Industry during the Moon Jae-in administration, is attending the warrant hearing held at the Seoul Eastern District Court on the morning of the 15th.
Photo by Oh Kyu-min

[Asia Economy Reporters Jang Se-hee, Oh Gyu-min] The decision on whether to detain former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Baek Woon-gyu, who is under prosecution investigation for alleged involvement in the Ministry of Industry blacklist case, is expected to be made as early as the 15th. Depending on the detention decision, it is anticipated that investigations targeting the Moon Jae-in administration will intensify.

The Seoul Eastern District Court will conduct a detention hearing for former Minister Baek, who is accused of abuse of authority, starting at 10:30 a.m. on the same day.

Before attending the hearing, former Minister Baek appeared at the court and stated, "During my tenure as minister, I handled matters according to the laws and regulations," adding, "I will sincerely participate in today's detention hearing." He did not respond to questions such as "Did you communicate with the Blue House?" or "Did you deliver the questionnaire to Mr. Hwang Chang-hwa?"

The Criminal Division 6 of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Choi Hyung-won) filed a detention warrant for former Minister Baek on the 13th, citing three charges: ▲ demanding resignation letters from 13 heads of subordinate agencies with remaining terms ▲ improper support for appointing successors to Agency A ▲ ordering cancellation of internal personnel decisions made by the head of Agency B before the appointment of a successor. This is the first time the prosecution has sought custody of high-ranking officials from the Moon administration since the launch of the Yoon Seok-yeol government.

The prosecution reportedly secured statements from some agency heads who resigned, indicating that former Minister Baek intervened in personnel appointments when appointing successors. They are also investigating allegations that Baek provided anticipated interview questions and answers in advance to appoint close aides of key figures in the Moon administration as heads of subordinate agencies.

The prosecution believes the 'Blue House' is behind the Ministry of Industry blacklist allegations and continues its investigation. They have obtained materials indicating that Park Sang-hyuk, a Democratic Party lawmaker who served as an administrative officer in the Blue House Personnel Secretary's Office, was involved in urging resignations of heads of public enterprises under the Ministry of Industry. Park has been notified to appear as a witness, though there is analysis that he may soon be reclassified as a suspect.

If the detention warrant for former Minister Baek is issued, investigations targeting higher-ups are expected to accelerate. Considering that the prosecution requested the warrant just four days after summoning Baek and that the details are extensive, it is speculated that they have secured sufficient additional physical evidence beyond testimonies. Furthermore, since Baek denies the charges, there is a possibility the warrant will be issued due to concerns over evidence tampering. Baek reportedly denied the allegations during the investigation, stating that personnel appointments were made in accordance with laws and regulations. Conversely, if the warrant is dismissed, the prosecution's investigation may stall, potentially hindering inquiries into Blue House involvement.

A lawyer with a prosecution background stated, "The prosecution's request for a warrant indicates they believe there are additional matters to investigate," adding, "If the accused denies the charges, there is a high possibility of concern over evidence destruction."

Meanwhile, the Eastern District Prosecutors' Office is expected to continue investigations into other ministries such as the Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Education, and the Office for Government Policy Coordination, while focusing on the Ministry of Industry blacklist case.

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