Police Officer Bu Seung-chan Appears Over 'Cheonggong Allegations'... "No Distortion or Fabrication"

Former Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Bu Seung-chan, who raised suspicions that fortune teller ‘Cheongong’ was involved in the relocation of the presidential residence in Yongsan, is undergoing his second summons investigation.

Former Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Bu Seung-chan is entering the Cyber Investigation Division at the Jahamun-ro Annex of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 27th to undergo police investigation regarding allegations of astrologer Cheongong's involvement in the Presidential Office residence relocation.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the police on the 27th, the Cyber Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is currently investigating Bu as a suspect on charges of defamation by publication and defamation by spreading false information under the Information and Communications Network Act.

Bu appeared at the police station around 10 a.m. that day and insisted that there was no distortion or fabrication in his book. He told reporters, "Since the diary’s content was included in the book without distortion or fabrication, except for the names, my record is accurate," adding, "The then Chief of Staff would not tell me a novel story, nor would I record such a novel in my diary."

He continued, "I learned recently during the previous appearance that the victim is Kim Yong-hyun (Chief of the Presidential Security Service)," and added, "If an individual’s reputation was defamed, the individual could file a complaint, but for a state agency to step in and file charges is impossible unless it is a 'second Cha Ji-cheol.'"

Regarding questions from reporters about the police investigation into the Cheongong suspicions, he responded, "Although Cheongong is a witness, searches and seizures were possible, and if searches and seizures had been conducted not only on Cheongong but also on the accompanying driver and attendants, everything could have been resolved early."

He had also expressed regret toward the Presidential Office, which filed charges against him, during his first investigation on the 19th. He told reporters, “I only recorded this on April 1 last year. I regret being in this position.”

Through his book published in February and media interviews, Bu claimed that “Cheongong visited the Army Chief of Staff’s official residence and the Ministry of National Defense’s Seoul headquarters within the defense complex during the presidential residence selection process,” based on information he heard from Nam Young-shin, then Army Chief of Staff. In response, the Presidential Office called it a “ridiculous fake suspicion” and filed complaints with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against Bu and two media outlets that reported his claims.

The police, having launched an investigation, conducted a search and seizure at the Ministry of National Defense’s Operations Support Division in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 15th of last month. At that time, the police secured visitor-related data. After analyzing 4 terabytes (TB) of CCTV footage from March of last year, the police recently announced that “there was no footage capturing Cheongong.” Earlier, analysis of Cheongong’s mobile phone location records also showed no traces of him near the candidate sites for the presidential residence.

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