Cha Jeong-hyeon, a Director General prosecutor at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) who investigated alleged external pressure in the death-in-the-line-of-duty Marine case, testified in court that the team received instructions to "not summon related references for questioning before the general election."
The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Agreement Division 23 (Presiding Judge Oh Se-yong) on the 30th held a continued hearing on charges including abuse of authority to interfere with the exercise of rights and dereliction of duty against five people: CIO Minister Oh Dong-woon, Vice Minister Lee Jae-seung, then acting Minister Kim Seon-gyu, and former Director General prosecutors Song Chang-jin and Park Seok-il.
On this day, Cha Jeong-hyeon, a Director General prosecutor in the CIO's Investigation Division 4, appeared as a witness. Cha, the Director General prosecutor, was the lead prosecutor in charge of the death-in-the-line-of-duty Marine external pressure case from 2023 to 2024.
Cha, the Director General prosecutor, said that around January to February 2024, she was told by then team lead, Director General prosecutor Lee Dae-hwan, that former acting Minister Kim had conveyed an instruction to "not conduct related summons investigations until the general election."
Those who were implicated in the death-in-the-line-of-duty Marine case at the time and became subjects for summons were former Ministry of National Defense Vice Minister Shin Beom-chul, former Ministry of National Defense Legal Affairs Management Officer Yoo Jae-eun, and former Ministry of National Defense military adviser Park Jin-hee. Cha, the Director General prosecutor, said that through Director General prosecutor Lee, she repeatedly recommended the need to summon them, but was told that former acting Minister Kim opposed it, saying, "Who would that benefit?" and "Don't even pick up the receiver."
Cha, the Director General prosecutor, also said that former acting Minister Kim repeatedly flaunted personal ties with former President Yoon Suk-yeol. She added, "In Kim Seon-gyu's case, I several times heard him refer to former President Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee as 'older brother' and 'older brother's wife,' so I thought they must be close."
Cha, the Director General prosecutor, also said regarding whether former acting Minister Kim, after the special counsel bill on the death-in-the-line-of-duty Marine case passed in May of the same year, gave instructions to the effect of "We need to create grounds for a veto, so hurry up and summon them," that "I heard that (said that way) from Director General prosecutor Lee."
She also said that immediately after the transition to the acting Minister Kim Seon-gyu system, there was an attempt to reduce the size of the death-in-the-line-of-duty Marine investigation team. She said she was told that the Investigation Division 4 Marine Corps team had too many personnel and needed to be downsized.
Former acting Minister Kim was indicted last November on charges of exerting external pressure to prevent a proper investigation into allegations of external pressure in the investigation of the death-in-the-line-of-duty Marine case, during the period in 2024 when he served as acting CIO Minister and Vice Minister.
Former Director General prosecutor Song Chang-jin, who was indicted alongside him, faces charges of obstructing the application for a search and seizure warrant for former President Yoon's personal mobile phone and the presidential office's internal extension numbers while serving as acting CIO Vice Minister.
The court did not approve the special counsel for the death-in-the-line-of-duty Marine case's request for a recorded broadcast that day. It cited the fairness of witness examination and the defendants' rights to defense.