The Special Investigation Headquarters for cases transferred by the three special counsels at the Korean National Police Agency, which has been investigating the cases handed over by the three special counsels, will be disbanded after about eight months and shifted to a dedicated investigation team system.
The special headquarters said on the 28th it will end operations. It was launched on Dec. 1 last year to investigate cases transferred from the special counsels on the fallen marine, insurrection, and Kim Keon-hee.
During its activity period, the special headquarters questioned 46 suspects 62 times and 209 witnesses 220 times, and carried out 16 search-and-seizures. Through this, it referred 16 of 137 cases, transferred 54 to other agencies, and closed 121 by decisions not to refer or not to book in 51 cases.
Notably, the special headquarters referred former presidential chief of staff Jeong Jin-seok, former presidential secretary for general affairs Yoon Jae-seon, and former first executive office chief Kang Ui-gu on charges of abuse of authority and destruction of evidence for leading actions such as initializing PCs at the presidential office and residence to systematically cover up the insurrection case.
It also referred former Commissioner General of Korea Correctional Service Shin Yong-hae on charges of engaging in important duties related to insurrection for ordering the securing of detention space for those who violated the proclamation, marking the first judicial action for alleged involvement in emergency martial law by a senior civil servant who was not military or police.
Among the cases taken over from the Kim Keon-hee special counsel, it identified and referred Rep. Cho Eun-hee and Myung Tae-gyun on suspicion of violating the Personal Information Protection Act in connection with the alleged leak of the People Power Party's membership list during the 21st National Assembly by-election (Seocho-gap, Seoul).
In particular, it fully reinvestigated the "Jeodo yacht party" case, which at the special counsel stage had been deemed opaque in its substance. After obtaining an admission from then-Presidential Security Service chief Kim Yong-hyun, the special headquarters referred former chief Kim and then planning and management office director at the Presidential Security Service Kim Seong-hun on charges of abuse of authority under the Presidential Security Act.
It referred the case of attempted coercion by former standing commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission Kim Yong-won, which had been handed over by the special counsel on the fallen marine. It also confirmed that Lee Jong-ho, former head of Black Pearl Invest and an associate of Ms. Kim, defrauded 111.6 million won as a bribe for arranging release from detention and 167 million won as purported attorney fees, and referred him on charges of fraud and violating the Attorney‑at‑Law Act.
Sixteen cases remain, and for those requiring focused investigation, a 23-member dedicated team under the Korean National Police Agency's Investigation Bureau will take over. Commissioner Kang Il-gu will serve as Head of Team. The remaining cases will be wrapped up by the KNPA's National Security Investigation Division.