Justice Committee to Probe Alleged Election Interference in Ulsan Case

A committee under South Korea's Ministry of Justice will investigate the alleged election interference case involving the former mayor of Ulsan during the previous Moon Jae-in administration. The probe by the Justice Ministry's Committee for the Future of Prosecution aims to scrutinize whether there were any irregularities in the prosecution's investigation and indictment process. This move comes after a public proposal from Hwang Un-ha, a member of the opposition Jo Guk Innovation Party, who argued that the Ulsan case was a product of prosecutorial manipulation and targeted indictment. The case centers on allegations that the Blue House orchestrated efforts to help Song Cheol-ho, a long-time friend of then-President Moon Jae-in, win the 2018 Ulsan mayoral election. Prosecutors had accused Song and Hwang, then Ulsan Metropolitan Police Commissioner, of receiving and acting on politically motivated intelligence reports. A lower court had convicted both Song and Hwang, sentencing them to three years in prison. However, an appellate court overturned these convictions, citing doubts about key witnesses' credibility and ruling that the creation and transfer of the intelligence reports fell within the scope of duties for Blue House officials. The Supreme Court later finalized their acquittal. Concerns are being raised about the committee's selection of cases, as it has previously chosen investigations involving figures from the ruling party, potentially leading to accusations of political bias.

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The Ulsan case was selected as a case requiring fact-finding, and a fact-finding investigation is scheduled to be recommended this month.