The special counsel said on the 15th that it had rejected on the 14th a request by the attorney for Mr. A, a Yangpyeong County Office official in Gyeonggi who was found dead after being questioned by the special counsel over Kim Keon-hee, to inspect the interrogation record.
The special counsel said that "if the record is disclosed, it could affect the ongoing investigation." It added, "Because the client's death ended the mandate relationship with the attorney, we inevitably rejected the request under the relevant laws."
Attorney Park Kyung-ho, Mr. A's lawyer, held a press conference around 11 a.m. the previous day at the memorial altar for Mr. A set up in front of KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno District, Seoul.
Attorney Park said, "I applied to the special counsel team to inspect and copy Mr. A's suspect interrogation record," adding, "After reviewing the record, we plan to file complaints against the investigators who conducted the unlawful investigation for abuse of authority, drafting false official documents, and cruel acts." Park said the special counsel wrote in the statement record content that Mr. A had never answered.
A legal professional said, "As a rule, even if the bereaved family, rather than the attorney, applies to inspect the record, permission should be granted." However, a special counsel official said, "Even when the family applies, disclosure of the record could affect the investigation, such as suspects coordinating their statements in advance, so after review it may be kept undisclosed."
Earlier, Mr. A, a Yangpyeong County Office official who was found dead at home on the 10th, was questioned as a suspect by the special counsel on the 2nd in connection with allegations of preferential treatment in the Yangpyeong Gongheung District involving first lady Kim Keon-hee's family.
The Gongheung District preferential treatment allegation is that ESI&D, the first lady's family company, failed to complete the development project within the deadline during 2011–2016, yet, with help from Yangpyeong County, was neither assessed nor paid development charges. Mr. A was the Head of Team in charge of assessing development charges related to the Gongheung District project in 2016.
Meanwhile, using Mr. A's death as a turning point, the special counsel said on the 13th that it would reexamine the investigation process and methods to date and check whether there were any potential human rights violations, such as coercing statements.