Busungchan "Cheonggong Mentioned as Insolent Crime"... Military "Political Remarks" (Summary)

Former Spokesperson Bu Seung-chan Summoned as Suspect on 28th
"No Confidential Leak... Military, Don't Become a Dog of Power"
Military Prosecution Expresses Regret... "Very Inappropriate Remarks"

Former Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Bu Seung-chan appeared before the Ministry of National Defense prosecution team as a suspect on charges of leaking military secrets and claimed it was "retaliation for mentioning Cheongong and an act of contempt." The military authorities rebutted this, calling it "inappropriate political remarks."

On the 28th, the Ministry of National Defense prosecution team stated in a "position" released to the press corps, "The use of harsh language by former spokesperson Bu Seung-chan during his interview with the media upon appearing before the Ministry of National Defense prosecution team today is a highly inappropriate political remark that disparages the fairness of the investigation and the independence of the military judicial system, and obscures the essence of the investigation."

Former Defense Ministry spokesperson Bu Seung-chan is appearing as a suspect at the Defense Ministry Prosecutors' Office on the morning of the 28th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

They continued, "We express strong regret that unrelated political remarks have tarnished the honor of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces personnel and infringed upon the fairness of military justice," and emphasized, "The prosecution team received the case regarding violations of the Military Secrets Protection Act from the Defense Counterintelligence Command in April and has been conducting a lawful investigation. In particular, there has been no investigation related to 'Cheongong' at all."

Earlier, former spokesperson Bu met with reporters as he appeared at the Ministry of National Defense prosecution team in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, in the morning, claiming, "There is practically no military secret in my book," and "Regarding the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between South Korea and the United States, the content is at a much lower level than the media reports at the time." He also addressed the military authorities, saying, "I hope the Ministry of National Defense does not become a tool for political power interests," and criticized, "We have painful experiences from the military dictatorship era in the 1980s. I am quite concerned that it might become a dog of power again."

Additionally, regarding the defamation accusation filed against him for claiming that the fortune teller 'Cheongong' interfered in the presidential residence decision, he rebutted, "(The Presidential Office) is only fueling suspicions without conducting a clear investigation." On whether he will run in next year's general election, he said, "I am considering it," and added, "I will stand against this administration. It is too irrational."

Meanwhile, former spokesperson Bu published a book titled Power and Security in February this year, which contains diary entries from his time in office. The military authorities have been investigating, considering that the content of high-level talks between South Korean and U.S. officials included in the book constitutes military secrets. The Defense Counterintelligence Command conducted a search and seizure of Bu’s residence and the spokesperson office PC used during his tenure at the Ministry of National Defense in February. Last month, the military prosecution also conducted a compulsory investigation against publisher A, which published his autobiography.

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