President Yoon's omnidirectional public opinion battle...Prosecutors Seize and Search National Police Headquarters

■ Host: Anchor Jeong Jin-hyung and anchor Lee Eun-sol
■ Starring: Baek Jong-gyu, YTN Social Affairs Reporter

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information. Please specify [YTN New Square 8PM] when quoting.

[Anchor]
While the emergency martial law joint investigation headquarters, including the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, is scheduled to notify President Yoon Suk Yeol of his request for a second appearance soon, President Yoon has launched an all-out public opinion campaign, saying he cannot admit to the charge of rebellion. The prosecution also raided officials from the National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters, Yeongdeungpo Police Station, and the Ministry of National Defense's Investigation Headquarters. Let's point out the details with reporter Baek Jong-gyu. Please come in. Let's start with this part today. President Yoon Suk Yeol's alleged civil war, the prosecution reported yesterday that it would transfer the case to the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit. Is the transfer completed now?

[Reporter]
The prosecution has begun the work of transferring to the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit. We're moving in. It takes time to organize data, so we don't know exactly when the case record will actually be handed over to the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit. However, it is still undecided whether to share the investigation records of those involved, such as former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and Yeo In-hyeong, commander of counterintelligence. The Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit also has data secured by the prosecution while investigating high-ranking military generals. They want to receive as much data as possible, but the prosecution is expected to try to hand over the records to the extent that it does not interfere with the ongoing investigation. It is mentioned that there is a part where we need to discuss the scope of the data with the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

[Anchor]
Some predicted that the joint investigation headquarters organized by the police and the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit would notify President Yoon of the second request for attendance as early as today.

[Reporter]
That's right. The government earlier demanded the first round of attendance from the President of Yoon Suk Yeol by 10 a.m. yesterday. However, the president of Yoon Suk Yeol virtually refused. I sent both human and mail, but the president of Yoon Suk Yeol did not receive it. In the past, the president of Yoon Suk Yeol emphasized that the two or three investigative agencies are calling each other as if they are competing, and that the agencies need to coordinate. However, now that President Yoon Suk Yeol's investigation has been decided as the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, the reason is not right. The competition to summon the president of Yoon Suk Yeol between the prosecution and police has also been completed. The government plans to set a date as soon as possible to notify the request for attendance, but it is expected to send a second request for attendance to President Yoon as early as today or tomorrow. The second request for attendance is expected to be after the 21st. President Yoon Suk Yeol's side has not yet completed the appointment of lawyers and needs to discuss security issues, making it difficult for the investigation to take place this week.

[Anchor]
Then, what happens if the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit sends a second summons request to President Yoon Suk Yeol and the president of Yoon Suk Yeol does not respond? Is there any way?

[Reporter]
The Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit is also considering requesting an arrest warrant if President Yoon Suk Yeol does not continue to respond to the request for summons. However, even if an arrest warrant is issued, the question is whether the Presidential Security Service will cooperate with the execution of the warrant. President Yoon Suk Yeol is an incumbent president, so there is a possibility of physical conflict with the presidential security. Even if the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit calls the President of Yoon Suk Yeol to investigate, there is no power to prosecute. In the case of the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, judges, prosecutors, and high-ranking police officers can be prosecuted, but high-ranking public officials such as the president do not have the authority to prosecute. Therefore, even if we investigate the president of Yoon Suk Yeol, we cannot directly turn it over to trial, so we have to use the prosecution's right to prosecute. If the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit investigates President Yoon and quickly requests an arrest warrant, it will be transferred to the prosecution if it secures a recruit before the launch of the special prosecution. Under the Criminal Procedure Act, if the suspect is not prosecuted within 20 days after arrest, the suspect must be released, so if the investigation of the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit is delayed and the special prosecutor starts in the meantime, the special prosecutor, not the prosecution, will have virtually all the investigation and prosecution authority. The speed of the investigation by the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit and the timing of the launch of the special prosecutor are expected to be variables in President Yoon Suk Yeol's related investigation in the future.

[Anchor]
However, the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit has been slow to investigate the emergency martial law case, but in fact, the investigation manpower is far short compared to the prosecution and police. There are also concerns about whether the summoning investigation can proceed smoothly in the future.

[Reporter]
That's right. In the case of the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, all investigative personnel, including 15 prosecutors and 36 investigators, must be deployed to investigate. However, it is questionable whether it is possible to investigate a large-scale case of an incumbent president's alleged rebellion with about 50 investigative personnel. For this reason, some pointed out that it is impossible for the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit to take charge of the investigation. So, in the case of the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, some predicted that they would ask the prosecution for manpower support, but the prosecution is skeptical. Since the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit and the prosecution have been fighting over the presidential case of Yoon Suk Yeol, they are unlikely to be able to request the dispatch of prosecutors. However, according to the Corruption Investigations Unit Act, the head of the Corruption Investigations Unit can request cooperation in the investigation, such as support for investigation activities by the prosecution and the police, if necessary. However, it is mentioned that the first request for attendance was sent to President Yoon under the judgment that the investigation cooperation is not mandatory, but the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit can fully investigate. He also emphasizes that he is cooperating with the police whenever necessary in the process of reviewing records.

[Anchor]
But in a way, haven't the prosecution continued to fight for the lead in the investigation? At the same time, he kept speeding up the investigation. But President Yoon Suk Yeol, the pinnacle of this case, was unable to investigate and moved on. So, I think there must have been a backlash from within the prosecution, but is there a part that can be read?

[Reporter]
The investigative agency has been competing for the direct investigation rights of President Yoon. Inside the prosecution's investigation team, there is an atmosphere of opposition. When there were signs of internal redness, we started to evolve internally. Prosecutor General Shim Woo-young sent a three-page letter to prosecutors nationwide. That's what I said here. He explained that it is a serious case so that he does not leave any pretext for due process. At the same time, he also revealed some of the consultation process with the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit The Supreme Prosecutors' Office persuaded them to withdraw their request for the transfer or conduct a joint investigation, but the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit continued to insist on the transfer of the entire suspect. President Shim also explained the background of the decision to organize the special edition. It is said that the prosecution, which has the right to prosecute, has decided that the entire case can be revealed through the fastest and most efficient investigation. However, in the end, he soothed the prosecutors, saying that if the case came over from the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, the final investigation would be conducted by a special prosecutor.

[Anchor]
Today, Seok Dong-hyun, a lawyer who helps President Yoon, met with reporters one after another. He expressed his opinion like this, saying, "I can't agree with the argument that emergency martial law is a crime of rebellion when I conveyed President Yoon's position."

[Reporter]
We talked about a lot of things. In fact, there is an evaluation that President Yoon Suk Yeol's side is engaged in a public opinion contest. I conducted a series of press questions and answers this morning and afternoon. He emphasized that the emergency martial law was judged not as a personal complaint of President Yoon Suk Yeol, but as a national emergency. From the perspective of President Yoon Suk Yeol, he said he had never thought about the crime of rebellion, and asked, "Where is a rebellion that says 'I'm going to rebel?' and how is a rebellion that stops when the National Assembly tells me to quit in two or three hours?" In addition, President Yoon Suk Yeol told the dispatched soldiers and police that they should not clash with citizens. Regarding the suspicion of arresting key figures, including politicians, which will be a watershed in proving the allegations of rebellion, the president also denied that he had ever brought up the arrest. At the same time, he mentioned why the president would bring up arrest when he was a lawyer. Military officials continued to say that President Yoon Suk Yeol had ordered lawmakers to be brought down ahead of a vote to lift martial law. It is a situation that contradicts this statement. And the lawyers have avoided an immediate answer, saying it will be their job to answer later on whether they will comply with the request for attendance at the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit. In addition, it is analyzed that the President of Yoon Suk Yeol is openly expressing his position to the media, and that he is engaged in an all-round public opinion war. Critics point out that it is a time-consuming and delayed strategy without completing the formation of the defense team.

[Anchor]
So, in fact, there is an analysis that President Yoon is trying to delay the Constitutional Court's trial process, as reporter Baek said, as the Constitutional Court has not received such documents so far. What happens next if the documents continue to be delayed or not served like this?

[Reporter]
As President Yoon Suk Yeol has refused to accept documents for four days, the process is expected to be disrupted. On the 16th, the Constitutional Court sent an impeachment resolution and a resolution to the preparatory proceedings to the President of Yoon Suk Yeol. I tried to deliver these documents by mail three times until today, but they were constantly rejected. It was eventually returned. Constitutional officials also visited the presidential office in person, but it was useless. If the document is not delivered like this, there will be a problem with the preparation date scheduled for the 27th. The Constitutional Court is also considering such countermeasures as what to do if President Yoon Suk Yeol continues to refuse to serve. Constitutional judges, at 10 a.m. today, the justices gathered to discuss the deliberation of the case. It is known that this issue was discussed here as well. In particular, the Constitutional Court is reviewing the possibility of treating it as a service if the refusal to receive it continues. These methods are discussed, such as how documents are placed at the place of delivery and are considered to have been delivered, and how they are considered to have been served a week after electronic delivery. First of all, the Constitutional Court is expected to announce its position on this at a briefing next Monday while reviewing various possibilities.

[Anchor]
At the time of the emergency martial law, violent detectives were mobilized as an arrest team, and I also reported to the anchor Mentro about the allegations.Ma said, "The special investigation headquarters of the prosecution raided the National Police Agency, the National Police Agency, the National Police Agency, and the Ministry of National Defense's investigation headquarters.

[Reporter]
That's right. The prosecution has launched a forced investigation into the National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters, which is suspected of supporting arresting personnel. During the search and seizure, the prosecution confiscated mobile phones such as Woo Jong-soo, head of the National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters, Yoon Seung-young, investigation planning coordinator at the National Investigation Headquarters, and Kang Sang-moon, head of the Seoul Yeouido Office. In addition, the National Assembly summoned the investigation planning officer and the coordinator to investigate. The special police department expressed its position that it is sorry for this. I'm a reference, but I confiscated my cell phone and said I'm sorry in this situation. At the same time, the government announced that it would proceed with the investigation without shaking. The reason why the prosecution raided this time was that the National Defense Agency supported violent detectives in the arrest group for the arrest of major political figures at the request of the Defense Security Command after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law on the 3rd. Earlier, the prosecution recently confirmed that the counterintelligence agency contacted the officials of the National Defense Agency on the day of martial law. We also called in Yeongdeungpo detectives who went to the arrest team at the time, including executives such as Yeongdeungpo Chief Kang Sang-moon and National Police Agency Investigation Planning Coordinator Yoon Seung-young. In response to such suspicions, the counterintelligence agency contacted the working-level officials of the National Assembly and said that the situation at the Yeouido site was confusing and asked for a list of police officers to guide them. That's why he said he only provided a list of about 10 detectives from the violent team. However, the prosecution captured the situation in which the police actually went out in front of the National Assembly and waited to be dispatched as requested by the counterintelligence agency. We suspect that it is not irrelevant to the arresting activities. The prosecution seemed to end the dispute over the investigation rights after transferring the investigation rights of President Yoon Suk Yeol to the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, but some point out that the search and seizure will continue the war of nerves over the investigation rights.

[Anchor]
And yesterday, an arrest warrant was issued for former intelligence commander Roh Sang-won, who is accused of plotting martial law at a hamburger store on the 8 o'clock news. I told you about this, but you must have been summoned for the first time today after you were arrested. What were the contents?

[Reporter]
As I mentioned earlier, Roh Sang-won, former commander of intelligence, served as commander of intelligence during the Park Geun Hye government. As a civilian, he was identified as a secret agent who helped former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to plan the emergency martial law. A warrant was issued by the court yesterday. And today's first investigation was conducted. At that time, the police investigation revealed that former commander Roh met with the intelligence commander Moon Sang-ho and two intelligence commanders at a hamburger store and plotted martial law in advance. At that time, it was judged that there was a situation in which former commander Roh ordered to prepare for martial law, and to secure a central election committee server related to fraudulent elections when martial law began. In the arrest warrant for former commander Roh, the police also indicated that they were trying to operate the North Korean Workers' Unit, HID, an intelligence unit under the intelligence command at the time of martial law. In the case of the opposition party, former commander Roh claimed that he actually coordinated and controlled the HID and the North Korean task force. It's a special mission stage under the intelligence agency. We can easily tell if we explain it as a so-called North Korean operative. The main task of this unit is to infiltrate North Korea and assassinate or kidnap the factor, but the fact that HID has been put into this emergency martial law should be considered a very serious problem. And former commander Roh seems to have controlled the intelligence command as a civilian. The police also suspect that former commander Roh, who is known to be a junior and close friend of former Minister Kim of the Korea Military Academy, drafted a decree.

[Anchor]
Meanwhile, the National Police Agency's special investigation team, today launched a final investigation into Police Commissioner Jo Ji-ho and Seoul Commissioner Kim Bong-sik. You're going to send it tomorrow
?

[Reporter]
That's right. Police Commissioner Jo Ji-ho and Seoul Commissioner Kim Bong-sik, who are suspected of being involved in the emergency martial law incident, are expected to be handed over to the prosecution tomorrow. They were held in a detention center at Seodaemun Police Station in Seoul after their arrest. Commissioner Cho, who suffers from blood cancer, was recently admitted to a police hospital due to poor health, and no investigation was conducted after his arrest. Today, a special investigation team conducted a visit investigation. In the case of Seoul Mayor Kim Bong-sik, he was investigated for a second time today after his arrest. The charges filed against them are important missions under the criminal law. Cho and Kim reportedly met President Yoon in advance at the presidential house in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, around 7 p.m. on the 3rd, ahead of the announcement of martial law. After that, I received an A4 document containing the control agency from President Yoon. He is also accused of blocking lawmakers and others from entering the National Assembly to vote on lifting martial law, such as ordering access control measures to the entire National Assembly at the time of emergency martial law.

[Anchor]
The investigation situation is changing every moment, so if you don't watch the news a little bit, you'll miss the whole thing, but you've been good at organizing it. I was Baek Jong-gyu, a reporter from the Ministry of Social Affairs. Thank you.