'Drinking Party Allegation' Former Deputy Director of NIS Security Strategy Division Referred to Prosecution

Private Use of Strategy Office... Allegations of Drinking Party
Seo Hoon and Former Deputy Director Cho Under Investigation for Irregular Hiring Charges

A former deputy director of the National Security Strategy Institute (Strategic Institute) under the National Intelligence Service, who is suspected of holding a drinking party in the Strategic Institute's office, has been handed over to the prosecution.

According to the police on the 19th, the Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency sent Cho, the former deputy director, who is accused of embezzlement and breach of trust under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, to the prosecution without detention on the 9th.

Cho is suspected of privately using the office within the Strategic Institute building or inviting outsiders to hold drinking parties from October 2020 to December last year. The Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency launched a search and seizure of Cho’s residence and the Strategic Institute office in October of the same year, following an investigation request from the National Intelligence Service in September last year. Last month, they applied for an arrest warrant for Cho, but the court dismissed the warrant on the 23rd of the same month, citing the need for the exercise of the right to defense.

Separately, the police are also investigating former National Security Office Chief Seo Hoon for allegedly intervening in August 2017, when he was serving as the head of the National Intelligence Service, to hire Cho, who did not meet the recruitment standards of the institute, as the head of the Strategic Institute’s Research Planning Office (charges of abuse of authority, obstruction of rights, and obstruction of business). The police believe that former Chief Seo instructed changes to the personnel service regulations of the Strategic Institute to facilitate Cho’s hiring. The police summoned and investigated former Chief Seo on the 10th.

Additionally, the Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is investigating former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won for allegedly intervening in August 2020 to improperly hire two close aides from his time as a member of the National Assembly?former Mokpo City Council member Kang Mo and former secretary Park Mo?as research fellows at the Strategic Institute. The police believe that these individuals were appointed as senior research fellows and principal research fellows, positions requiring a doctoral degree and research experience, without going through normal procedures such as recommendation, document screening, and interviews. The police plan to summon and investigate former Director Park soon.

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