President Yoon's transfer to the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit...Resolving the controversy over overlapping investigations?

■ Host: Anchor Jeong Jin-hyung and anchor Lee Eun-sol
■ Starring: Baek Jong-gyu, 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]
Let's continue to point out the investigation into the emergency martial law situation with Baek Jong-kyu, a reporter from the Ministry of Social Affairs. Please come in. There are many investigation situations that need to be checked today. First of all, wasn't there some confusion as the police, the prosecution, and the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit competed with each other in relation to President Yoon's investigation? But today, the prosecution and the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit agreed to unify. This is the news.

[Reporter]
The prosecution and the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, which had been fighting over the transfer of the case, agreed to unify the investigation into President Yoon. This morning, Oh Dong-woon, the head of the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, and Lee Jin-dong, the deputy prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, held an emergency meeting. Starting with the meeting, the agreement to unify the investigation took off. As various agencies investigated, there was a competition for leadership. As a result, the controversy over the duplicate investigation has grown. The two agencies solved the problem, and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced that it would transfer the case against the suspect, President Yoon Suk Yeol and former Minister of Public Administration and Security Lee Sang-min to the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit. The Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit withdrew the request for transfer of the remaining suspects. The prosecution seems to have been based on criticism from the legal community that refusing to comply with the request for transfer by the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit could lead to controversy over illegal investigations. Seok Dong-hyun, a lawyer involved in the formation of Yoon Suk Yeol's presidential lawyers, also pointed out this yesterday. As the prosecution decided to hand over President Yoon's case to the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, the controversy over the overlapping investigation is expected to be partially resolved. However, the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit only has some prosecution rights against judges, prosecutors, and police. Therefore, when the investigation is completed, the prosecution will have to indict President Yoon.

[Anchor]
Now that the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit has taken the helm, President Yoon Suk Yeol should come to the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, right?

[Reporter]
First of all, that's the situation. It is expected that the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, not the prosecution, will be in charge of summoning suspects against the president of Yoon Suk Yeol. President Yoon Suk Yeol and former Minister of Public Administration and Security Lee Sang-min decided to continue the investigation for now after the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit and the police discussed it. Prosecutors are expected to continue investigating President Yoon's alleged abuse of authority and military leadership. President Yoon, the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit summoned you for the first time at 10 a.m. today. I didn't comply with the fishing period. The Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit plans to send a second summons request to President Yoon soon. First of all, the prosecution's request for attendance on the 21st is expected to be canceled. Details such as the schedule and location of the summons against President Yoon have not been confirmed. However, since the investigation is conducted by the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, President Yoon's investigation is expected to be conducted by the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations If President Yoon Suk Yeol refuses to comply, there is a possibility of executing an arrest warrant, but he is not expected to execute the arrest warrant immediately as President Yoon Suk Yeol said that the formation of the lawyers has not yet been completed and that he will give a position on the investigative agency's request for attendance within a few days. Some say that President Yoon is implementing a strategy to delay the investigation and hold out. This point is also being raised. In the case of the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, there are about 50 people in total, including the chief, deputy chief, prosecutor, and investigator. There are fewer investigators than prosecutors and police. And in the meantime, we haven't made much progress. There have been no cases in which the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit has been guilty. Now, we are in a situation where we have to conduct an investigation against President Yoon and prove the results.

[Anchor]
So, the prosecution and the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit agreed to unify each other, and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office handed over the case-related materials to the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit. But after the decision to hand it over like this, the head of the special investigation division of the prosecution's emergency martial law said he found the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, why is this like that?

[Reporter]
That's right. First of all, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office has announced its position in this regard. Today, Park Se-hyun, head of the Special Headquarters, visited the Supreme Sword. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office was convened by the Prosecutor General. President Yoon Suk Yeol and former Minister of Public Administration and Security Lee Sang-min's case were transferred to the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, and they discussed this and future directions of the investigation. However, as the Supreme Prosecutors' Office decided to transfer the case of President Yoon's rebellion, there was sufficient consultation with the special edition. These words came out. Isn't that why you visited the protest? There's also this interpretation. With these words, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced its position like this.

[Anchor]
The investigation seems to be speeding up, and I'm also curious about the position of the lawyers. As you said earlier, I didn't complete the composition yesterday, is there anything else covered today?

[Reporter]
I didn't make any particular announcement today. However, the lawyers will hold a press conference through reporters tomorrow. I think I'll make my position clear there. Before the lawyers are formed, lawyer Seok Dong-hyun, a close aide to the president, will meet with reporters. It is expected that the lawyers will be able to confirm their position on the transfer or summons of the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit on the spot tomorrow. The president of Yoon Suk Yeol has said he will respond proudly whether it is an investigation or impeachment. However, lawyer Seok said yesterday, "It is difficult to proceed with the investigation and impeachment at the same time." And he said he shared this meaning with the president. As mentioned earlier, some in the legal profession point out that it is a time-consuming and delayed strategy. As well as the investigation, it seems that it will take legal action while increasing the schedule of the impeachment trial as much as possible.

[Anchor]
So, I've summarized the investigation situation of the prosecution and the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, and in the case of the police, they tried to seize and search the presidential office yesterday. However, it eventually failed due to opposition from the security service.

[Reporter]
That's right. Yesterday, the police had a joint investigation headquarters with the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit. We conducted a search and seizure yesterday. About the Presidential Security Service. But at around 4:50 p.m. today, the police issued this notice. The security service delivered a letter of reason to reject the search and seizure. The security service said it cannot cooperate with the server seizure and search warrant for military confidentiality and official reasons. In fact, he refused to raid the presidential office. The government attempted to seize and search the security service server in the presidential office building yesterday, but had a seven-hour standoff. And then I stepped down. As the execution period of the search and seizure warrant remains, the Korea Communications Standards Institute said it will have more internal discussions on how to secure data in the future.

[Anchor]
First of all, the prosecution and military officials who handed over President Yoon's case to the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit are continuing their investigation, and President Yoon and those involved have planned and conspired for martial law for a long time. Suspicions are rising in this area.

[Reporter]
That's right. The prosecution is now continuing its investigation to find out when the emergency martial law planning stage began. The prosecution has secured all the recruits of key military officials, including martial law commanders. Five people were arrested, including former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, Yeo In-hyeong counterintelligence commander, Kwak Jong-geun, commander of the Special Warfare Command, Lee Jin-woo, commander of the Capital Defense Command, and Army Chief of Staff Park An-soo. That's why we've secured a recruit. We are focusing on strengthening the charges against President Yoon Suk Yeol by grasping the specific timing and contents of martial law's conspiracy against these generals. In these cases, they played a key role in the emergency martial law situation, including sending troops to the National Assembly and the Central Election Commission and declaring a decree. The prosecution's special investigation team is investigating the role and instructions of these five people step by step until the conception, declaration, and implementation of martial law. In particular, as you said, investigations are continuing to find out when the conceptual stage began. This suspicion continues to be raised that martial law has become a preliminary public offering. In the case of Yeo In-hyeong, the commander of counterintelligence, President Yoon Suk Yeol has mentioned the need for emergency measures following allegations of fraudulent elections in an informal meeting since late last year. I made a statement like this. And even after the defeat in the general election in April last year, President Yoon Suk Yeol mentioned the need for martial law. That's what I said. Commander Yeo In-hyeong and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun also mentioned the possibility of martial law before the APEC summit in November. Other military officials are testifying similarly. First of all, the prosecution is focusing on understanding the timing and content of the emergency martial law contest.

[Anchor]
In the case of the prosecution, I understand that it summoned Kim Hyun-tae, the head of the 707 Special Task Force, as a reference today to investigate. However, as general manager Kim attends the event, I will reveal the events of that time in detail. He is said to have said this.

[Reporter]
General manager Kim said similar things before. General Manager Kim Hyun-tae, after the declaration of martial law, deployed 197 troops to the National Assembly to direct the scene. He is the person who ordered to break the window and enter to block the door of the National Assembly from inside. However, General Manager Kim Hyun-tae claimed that this was in accordance with orders from his superiors, including Special Warfare Commander Kwak Jong-geun, to block two buildings, the National Assembly building and the National Assembly Hall. General Manager Kim also said at a press conference on the 9th that it was the order of Special Forces Commander Kwak Jong-geun. I'll tell you exactly what happened when I was present. I also revealed it. The prosecution also summoned Lee Jae-hak, head of the counterintelligence agency's security investigation office, and Ku Sang-hoe, head of the Army's 2nd Armored Brigade.

[Anchor]
In the meantime, the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit reported earlier that the hamburger store arrested Moon Sang-ho, the intelligence commander who is known to have plotted emergency martial law in advance this afternoon, what is it about?

[Reporter]
The Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit has arrested Moon Sang-ho, the commander of the Armed Forces Intelligence Command, who is accused of rebellion and other charges. I got an arrest warrant yesterday. It was arrested after 12 p.m. today along with the special investigation team of the National Investigation Headquarters of the police. Commander Moon is accused of ordering the Central Election Commission to send troops after President Yoon's declaration of martial law on the 3rd. It is also suspected of sending HID, a North Korean task force under the Intelligence Command, as an emergency arrest for lawmakers. As the anchor said, on the 1st, two days before martial law, there are also allegations that he met with former intelligence commander Roh Sang-won at a hamburger store with two of his men and plotted martial law in advance. Earlier, the police investigated Commander Moon. When martial law began, the police immediately arrested Commander Moon after detecting the situation in which they were instructed to secure a central election committee server in connection with the fraudulent election, but the prosecution rejected it, saying that it violates the rules of the military court's jurisdiction. Since he is an incumbent soldier, the prosecution explained that the forced investigation should be conducted under a military court warrant and that the military prosecutor should proceed with judicial procedures such as arrest. Commander Moon, who was released, was investigated further by the police and eventually transferred to the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit. The Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit has the authority to investigate general-level officers. As a result, the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit has requested an arrest warrant for Commander Moon to regain his whereabouts.

[Anchor] Reporter
Baek mentioned it briefly during the answer, but the interrogation of the suspect before the arrest of former intelligence commander Roh Sang-won was held today, right?

[Reporter]
That's right. The National Police Agency's special investigation team filed an arrest warrant yesterday for former commander Roh Sang-won on charges of rebellion and other charges. Former intelligence commander Roh Sang-won, a warrant hearing was held at the Seoul Central District Court at 3 p.m. today. Former commander Roh expressed his intention to give up his status as a suspect before his arrest. He gave up the opportunity to appear in court and explain the charges through face-to-face examination in front of a judge. Accordingly, the court will review the existing investigation records and evidence data and decide whether to issue a warrant. Former commander Roh was an intelligence commander at the time of former President Park Geun Hye. And it is known as a close aide to former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. In particular, former commander Roh is suspected of being a secret and mastermind behind the draft of a martial law declaration that could be illegal and unconstitutional and led the martial law army's control of the election committee.

[Anchor]
It is expected to be decided tonight, early tomorrow morning, whether to be arrested or not. This was reporter Baek Jong-gyu. Thank you for talking today.