Chae Case Special Prosecutor to Summon HOCI Chief Oh Dongwoon as Suspect This Week on Dereliction of Duty Charges

Failure to Report Song Changjin Case to Supreme Prosecutors' Office
Former HOCI Executives Booked for Abuse of Power
Special Prosecutor: "Evidence of Investigation Interference Confirmed"

The special prosecutor team led by Lee Myunghyun, which is investigating the death in the line of duty of Private Chae and allegations of external pressure and cover-up in the investigation, will summon Odongwoon, Chief of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HOCI), for questioning as a suspect this week.

Odongwoon, Chief of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HOCI), is taking the witness oath at the National Assembly Judiciary Committee's inspection of HOCI held in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 24th. Photo by Yonhap News

Special Prosecutor Jeong Minyoung announced at a regular briefing on the 27th, "We plan to question Chief Oh within this week."

Chief Oh is suspected of failing to notify the Supreme Prosecutors' Office for nearly a year about a perjury complaint filed in July last year against Song Changjin, former deputy chief prosecutor of HOCI.

At that time, former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Song was reported by Democratic Party lawmakers for alleged perjury at the National Assembly Judiciary Committee. The special prosecutor team believes that Chief Oh deliberately delayed notifying the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in order to intentionally slow down the investigation.

The special prosecutor team, which took over and has been investigating the perjury case of former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Song from HOCI, confirmed that HOCI did not notify the Supreme Prosecutors' Office about the case. As a result, they have booked Chief Oh, Deputy Chief Lee Jaeseung, and former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Park Seokil on charges of dereliction of duty and are currently investigating them.

Regarding allegations that HOCI interfered with the investigation into Private Chae's case, the special prosecutor team also booked former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Seongyu and former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Song, who served as acting chief and deputy chief in the first half of last year, on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of rights.

Previously, the special prosecutor team reportedly obtained testimony that former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim instructed not to summon those involved in the case before the general election, and, ahead of the passage of the Special Prosecutor Act on Private Chae in the plenary session, said that the investigation should be expedited to provide grounds for exercising a veto. Regarding former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Song, the team is investigating circumstances in which he allegedly obstructed the request for a search and seizure warrant for the communication records of former President Yoon Sukyeol.

Special Prosecutor Jeong stated, "We have confirmed circumstances indicating that there was actual interference in HOCI's investigation related to Private Chae," adding, "We plan to summon these individuals as suspects for questioning soon."

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