Prosecutors Find No Evidence in Illegal Wiretapping Allegations Against Yoo Byung-eon, Kim Ki-choon, and Kim Kwan-jin

The prosecution investigating allegations that the military, government, and investigative agencies conducted illegal wiretapping during the arrest of the late Yoo Byung-eon, former chairman of the Samho Group, has cleared related figures including former Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon, former Minister of National Defense Kim Kwan-jin, and current prosecutor Eom Hee-jun, Anti-Corruption Planning Officer at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

Seoul Seocho-gu Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The Public Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Jeong Won-du) announced on the 24th that all 21 individuals, including former Blue House, Ministry of National Defense, prosecution, and Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning officials, who were accused of violating the Communications Privacy Protection Act, were all not indicted.

Among them, five officials from the Defense Security Command (DSC, currently the Defense Security Support Command) who were accused of illegally wiretapping radio communications using DSC equipment received a suspension of indictment. One person who had already received a suspension of indictment from the military prosecution for the same criminal facts was dismissed.

This decision was based on the judgment that the act involved only limited listening to portable radio communications during the Sewol ferry disaster investigation and the arrest process of former Chairman Yoo.

Fifteen officials from the Blue House, Ministry of National Defense, prosecution, and Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning who were also accused of the same charge were cleared of suspicion, as there was no evidence to prove their involvement in illegal wiretapping using DSC equipment.

Some officials were also accused of illegally wiretapping radio communications using radio measurement equipment from the Radio Management Office at the request of the prosecution, but they were similarly found not guilty.

The prosecution judged that, based on reports and information at the time that former Chairman Yoo and religious group followers were fleeing using illegal radios, the Radio Management Office was only attempting to detect illegal radio use within its lawful authority and did not exceed the scope of radio order maintenance duties guaranteed under the Communications Privacy Protection Act.

Previously, the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) and the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy filed complaints in 2019, alleging that the DSC illegally wiretapped civilians to arrest former Chairman Yoo, accusing former Prosecutor General Kim Jin-tae and former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lim Jeong-hyeok, who led the investigation at the time. Current prosecutor Eom Hee-jun of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office was also included.

Minbyun and others suspected that the government and Blue House at the time approved the DSC's illegal wiretapping using Radio Management Office facilities and also filed complaints against former Chief of Staff Kim and former Minister Kim.

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