[Exclusive] Board of Audit and Inspection Begins Restoring Deleted Files Related to Civil Servant Killing

Digital Forensic Investigation for the Ministry of National Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan, Seoul, which will be used as the presidential office, one day before the presidential inauguration on the 9th. President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol is scheduled to begin work at the office relocated to the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense building on the 10th. Photo by the Transition Team Press Corps

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] It has been reported that the Board of Audit and Inspection has launched a digital forensic investigation targeting the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The aim is to restore deleted materials related to the ‘West Sea Civilian Killing Incident’ from the military information network to ascertain the truth.

A government official said on the 8th, "I understand that the Board of Audit and Inspection is conducting a digital forensic investigation on the personnel in the command line and computers of the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

The Board of Audit and Inspection believes that some confidential military information uploaded to the Military Integrated Management System (MIMS) was deleted during the period of September 23-24, 2020, when Lee’s disappearance was being solidified as a presumed defection to the North. Accordingly, it is known that they are restoring all materials such as emails and official documents exchanged not only within the Ministry of National Defense but also with related government agencies including the Blue House, the Coast Guard, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to examine whether the investigation process at that time was appropriate.

The military explained that the deletion was a necessary measure to prevent related intelligence from spreading to subordinate units that did not need to receive it. They stated that it was not an unauthorized deletion to conceal anything and that the original data is still preserved.

However, if the deleted information in MIMS includes reports stating ‘this was not a voluntary defection,’ the situation changes. This raises the possibility that the deletion was made because the conclusion differed from the instructions given by higher authorities such as the Blue House. If the military selectively deleted confidential information about the civilian shooting incident in an unusual manner, attention will inevitably focus on who made the deletion order, why it was decided, and whether the decision-making process followed regulations and procedures.

Depending on the results of this Board of Audit and Inspection investigation, it is expected that the ongoing investigation of the case currently pending at the Public Investigation Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office could accelerate.

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