The Marine Corps special counsel said on the 1st that it summoned former presidential personnel secretary Lee Won-mo for questioning as a suspect. The former secretary is suspected of being involved in former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup's process of leaving the country after being appointed ambassador to Australia.
The former secretary arrived at the special counsel's office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, at about 9:50 a.m. that day. To questions from reporters such as, "Was the nomination of the former Minister as ambassador to Australia ordered by former President Yoon Suk-yeol?" and "Didn't you think it was a problem to nominate the former Minister as ambassador while knowing he had been reported to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO)?" he answered, "I will go in, speak, and come out," before entering the interrogation room.
The former secretary held the presidential personnel secretary post in Dec. 2023, when the former Minister was nominated as ambassador to Australia. He also oversaw personnel affairs at the presidential office when the vetting process for the former Minister was underway.
The special counsel plans to question the former secretary about the process of nominating the former Minister as ambassador to Australia, among other matters. The special counsel has secured testimony from a former presidential administrative officer to the effect that "the former secretary contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Dec. 7, 2023, and told them to prepare the procedure for appointing the ambassador to Australia."
The former Minister faces "overseas flight allegations." The overseas flight allegations are that former President Yoon appointed the former Minister, who was under suspicion of pressuring the investigation into the death of Sgt. Chae, as ambassador to Australia in March last year and lifted the departure ban to let him flee.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which investigated allegations of pressure on the investigation into Sgt. Chae's death, applied for a departure ban on the former Minister on Dec. 7, 2023, and the Ministry of Justice imposed the ban the next day. The CIO then extended the former Minister's departure ban three times. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Mar. 4 of the following year that the former Minister had been appointed ambassador to Australia, and four days later, on the 8th, the Ministry of Justice lifted the departure ban on the former Minister, who was a suspect.