Police have launched a full-fledged investigation into two investigators who were in charge of storing seized items at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office at the time the band and sticker for the "Kwanbongwon" banknote bundle were lost in connection with shaman "Geonjin Beopsa" Jeon Seong-bae.
An official at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said at a regular press briefing on the 22nd, "A complaint has been filed against the two investigators for violating the Act on Testimony and Appraisal at the National Assembly," adding, "We have assigned the case to the Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency." The official added, "We plan to proceed with the investigation in accordance with procedure, including questioning the complainant and analyzing necessary materials."
The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office is known to have lost key evidence during the investigation, including the band and stickers attached to 50 million won corresponding to the "Kwanbongwon" banknote bundle, out of 165 million won in cash seized from Jeon's hideout in Dec. last year. The two investigators in charge of storage were reported on suspicion of violating the Act on Testimony and Appraisal at the National Assembly in connection with their testimony—"I don't remember well"—when they appeared as witnesses at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's prosecution reform legislative hearing on the 5th.
To question the complainant, police plan to travel to Daejeon, where the complainant is located, on the 24th for an on-site interview. Asked whether it was unusual to conduct a complainant interview on a business trip, an official at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said, "There is no particular reason; the complainant is busy," adding, "We coordinated schedules and set the interview date."