Special Prosecutor Indicts 58, Including Yoon and Kim, but Key Cases End Inconclusively

The special prosecutor's team, tasked with investigating lingering suspicions from previous probes into alleged state subversion and corruption involving former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife, Kim Keon-hee, has concluded its 180-day operation. While the team secured indictments against 58 individuals, including former high-ranking officials, it fell short of fully resolving critical allegations such as the controversial route change for the Yangpyeong highway and the "Noh Sang-won diary" incident.

During its investigation, the team indicted former National Security First Deputy Chief Kim Tae-hyo and Audit Board member Yoo Byeong-ho, who is accused of orchestrating politically motivated audits. The indictments against Yoon and former National Security Advisor Shin Won-sik relate to allegations of directing the dissemination of messages justifying a state of emergency to allied nations. Yoo and other Audit Board officials face charges for allegedly suppressing an audit into the relocation of the presidential residence.

A notable aspect of this investigation was the indictment of several former high-ranking prosecutors, including former Prosecutor General Sim Woo-jung. He is charged with abuse of power for allegedly directing the dispatch of prosecutors to the martial law command following the declaration of martial law. Former Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office chief Lee Chang-soo and others are indicted for allegedly colluding with Kim Keon-hee's defense team in the stock manipulation case.

However, the team's decision to indict former National Intelligence Service official Hong Jang-won and former Capital Defense Command officer Cho Seong-hyun on charges of conspiracy to commit rebellion has raised questions, as they were previously cleared by another special prosecutor. This has led to a situation where military officials, who were witnesses in the previous trial, are refusing to testify, placing the burden of proof squarely on the current special prosecutor's team.

Special Prosecutor Kwon Chang-young cited the extensive nature of the remaining investigations, including details of assassination plans following martial law and a suspected meeting involving the Justice Minister and presidential aides, as reasons for not being able to complete the probe within the allotted time. He proposed transferring the remaining cases to a special investigative headquarters comprising various investigative agencies. Kwon emphasized the need for a permanent organization capable of conducting long-term, systematic investigations due to the wide-ranging involvement of government bodies and individuals in rebellion charges.

“

There are too many items to investigate, and we could not confirm the full picture within the remaining time, so we transferred the cases with tears in our eyes.