19 requests for Deutsche's warrant for a year...Why didn't you re-claim it?

Prosecutors investigate alleged sponsorship of Kim's exhibition agency in 2020

Including 'Deutsche Motors' on the list of sponsored companies...simultaneous investigation

[Anchor]
Prosecutors have requested warrants for seizure and search in connection with the Deutsche Motors stock price manipulation case about 19 times.

Even that was all done at the time of the initial investigation, and after the investigation team changed, it was found that there was no attempt to force investigation not only of First Lady Kim Gun-hee but also of other people involved in the case.

Reporter Shin Ji-won reports.

[Reporter]
In 2020, during the Moon Jae In administration, prosecutors launched an investigation into allegations that the exhibition agency "Kobana Content," run by First Lady Kim Gun-hee, received preferential sponsorship from large companies.

The list of sponsored companies also included Deutsche Motors, the center of the stock price manipulation case.

In November 2020, the prosecution requested a search and seizure warrant for Kim and her mother Choi Eun-soon's mobile phones and computers, and the office of former Deutsche Motors chairman Kwon Oh-soo, but all were rejected.It is a warrant that sparked a "false" controversy when the investigation team of

Deutsche' case explained that it was rejected after requesting a warrant for Kim.

[Lee Chang-soo / Chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (last 18th): The request for seizure and search against the suspect (Kim) is a case related to Covana content.]

As the prosecution investigated both cases at the same time, it requested 19 search and seizure warrants for its residence or office for a year until the end of the following year, and 17 warrants were issued.

However, since 2022, when Yoon Suk Yeol's president was elected, even this has become less common.

The same is true even after Jeonju Son's aiding and abetting charge was found guilty in the Deutsche case appeal trial.

Prosecutors said it was enough to review the data secured by the initial investigation team, and explained that they did not request a search warrant for "simple account holders" such as Kim.

[Lee Chang-soo / Chief of Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office: We continued to investigate major accomplices after 2022, and there was no evidence to help prove the allegations other than the existing suspicious circumstances, and more statements and circumstances were found in favor of the suspect (Kim).]

Although the investigation, which had been sluggish for more than four years, accelerated after a face-to-face investigation into Kim in July,
It seems difficult to avoid criticism that the prosecution, which did not indict Kim on the grounds that there was no 'objective evidence'
, neglected to secure evidence.

I'm Shin Jiwon of YTN.

Edit
video: Ahn Hong-hyun
Design: Kim Jinho