The second special prosecutor team, led by Kwon Chang-young, is currently investigating with the possibility of a third extension as a bill to extend the investigation period and increase personnel has been submitted to the National Assembly.
Special Prosecutor Kim Ji-mi held a regular briefing on July 20 at the special prosecutor's office in Gwacheon, stating, "The possibility of an extension is uncertain," but added, "We are preparing for both the end of the second investigation period on the 24th and the possibility of an extension."
After extending the investigation twice, the special prosecutor's office submitted a request to the National Assembly earlier this month to extend the activity period by an additional 30 days. The amendment request includes increasing the number of dispatched public officials and allowing special investigators with legal qualifications to maintain prosecutions.
However, skepticism about the extension has grown due to minimal investigative results and excessive budget usage. The special prosecutor's office has adopted a 'Heavy Tail' strategy, focusing on requesting arrest warrants and filing charges in the latter half of the investigation, but has yet to secure suspects at even half the expected rate.
In response to criticism, Kim stated, "Securing suspects through arrest warrants while investigating areas not clarified by the three major special prosecutors (insurrection, Kim Geon-hee, Chae Hae-byeong) is more challenging than the previous special prosecutors who sought arrest warrants early in their investigations for evidence collection."
Despite deploying more budget and personnel compared to the three major special prosecutors, the lack of investigative results has been noted. Kim explained, "When comparing the number of prosecutors, the insurrection special prosecutor had 70 prosecutors, while we have been operating with 14, which inherently limits our investigative capacity."
While the People Power Party opposes the amendment to the special prosecutor law, the Democratic Party plans to hold a plenary session to process it, increasing the likelihood that the special prosecutor's investigation will be extended until July 23. In this context, the special prosecutor's office is expected to focus on investigating key suspects identified in various allegations.
On July 22, they plan to question Kim Geon-hee regarding allegations of preferential treatment related to the relocation of the presidential residence, and on July 23, they will investigate former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong regarding allegations of preferential treatment for the Yangpyeong Expressway. Given that these individuals are at the center of the related allegations, the special prosecutor's office is expected to exert all efforts to substantiate the charges.
The investigation into Hong Jang-won, former first deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, and Cho Sung-hyun, former commander of the 1st Guard Brigade of the Army Capital Defense Command (Colonel), who made different judgments from the insurrection special prosecutor team, is also drawing attention.
Kim noted, "We have confirmed indications that former Deputy Director Hong instructed his subordinate department to 'establish a communication network with the Military Counterintelligence Command' immediately after the declaration of martial law, and that former Deputy Director Hwang Won-jin instructed to 'dispatch investigators to the Joint Investigation Headquarters of the Martial Law Command.' We are currently verifying whether these instructions were actually carried out." Regarding Cho, who underwent a second suspect identity investigation last week, Kim emphasized, "We have clarified the facts of the allegations."
Last week, the special prosecutor's office investigated nine suspects and eleven witnesses.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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