The second comprehensive special prosecutor team, led by Kwon Chang-young, marked its 75th day of investigation on May 11. As the investigation period, set for a maximum of 150 days, reaches its halfway point, search and seizure operations and witness interrogations continue. However, the team has yet to secure the detention of key suspects or move to the indictment stage. The special prosecutor is focusing on the investigation into the alleged conspiracy to commit murder for rebellion related to the 'Noh Sang-won notebook' in hopes of finding a breakthrough.
Since its launch on February 25, the special prosecutor's office announced its first investigation results last week. It cleared Kim Kwan-young, the former governor of North Jeolla Province, and Oh Young-hoon, the governor of Jeju Province, of charges related to the martial law situation on December 3, citing a lack of evidence to support the allegations.
The case against Kim was initiated following a complaint from the Justice Innovation Party, but the special prosecutor determined there was insufficient evidence to substantiate the claims. Similarly, the case against Oh was closed without further judgment, as no new evidence emerged since the previous investigation into the rebellion last year.
While these two cases were deemed to have relatively limited issues compared to other major allegations under investigation, it took nearly two months to reach a conclusion. Legal experts note that although forced investigations and data collection are ongoing, there has been little clear progress toward interrogating key suspects or moving toward indictments.
Some observers have pointed out that this contrasts with the earlier special investigation teams, which sought to secure the detention of key suspects, including former President Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Geon-hee, from the outset. The comprehensive special prosecutor's office has also been investigating allegations of complicity in rebellion involving the Joint Chiefs of Staff leadership and claims of covering up the investigation into Kim Geon-hee, but has not yet moved to request arrest warrants or indictments against major suspects.
During a briefing on the same day, the special prosecutor's office stated that related investigations are ongoing. They are continuing searches at the Gwangju Center of the National Intelligence Resource Management Agency related to former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung's allegations of important duties in rebellion and abuse of power. Additionally, after the Supreme Prosecutors' Office refused to submit materials for a constitutional respect task force, they executed a search warrant to secure relevant documents.
In connection with the allegations of covering up the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case, the prosecutor's office is also conducting witness interrogations of the prosecutors involved in the investigation at that time. Furthermore, searches have been conducted regarding the allegations of Kim Geon-hee receiving a Dior bag.
The special prosecutor's office is also pursuing allegations of complicity in rebellion within the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They reported conducting the first suspect interrogation of a Joint Chiefs of Staff official last week. In relation to the blacklist allegations involving the Military Counterintelligence Command, they executed a verification warrant to check personnel information databases.
Recently, the focus has shifted significantly to the investigation related to the 'Noh Sang-won notebook.' Following verification at facilities in Yeonpyeong on May 6 and in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, on May 8, the special prosecutor's office is examining whether these locations could have served as detention sites for key figures listed in the notebook.
The special prosecutor's office explained that the verification aims to confirm whether the facilities have the structure and environment suitable for use as detention sites. This is part of their efforts to substantiate the allegations against former Intelligence Commander Noh Sang-won regarding conspiracy to commit murder for rebellion. The investigation has also expanded to include charges against former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and Noh for organizing a criminal group.
In the legal community, opinions are divided on the effectiveness of applying additional charges to already indicted facts related to rebellion. Given the broad scope of the investigation, there are calls for focused efforts in the remaining time.
Additionally, the special prosecutor's office is looking into allegations of preferential treatment in the Yangpyeong Expressway project, the cover-up of gambling investigations involving the Unification Church, and illegal budget execution related to the relocation of the presidential office. Kim O-jin, former first vice minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is scheduled to be investigated on May 13, followed by Yoon Jae-soon, former chief secretary to the president, on May 14, and Kim Dae-ki, former head of the presidential office, on May 15, all for abuse of power. However, it is anticipated that investigations involving related parties and data collection will take considerable time, raising concerns about the potential for prolonged investigations.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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