Comprehensive Special Prosecutor Concludes 180-Day Probe, Indicts 58 Including Yoon and Kim Keon-hee

The 2nd Comprehensive Special Investigation Team, led by Changyoung Kwon, which has been investigating various suspicions left by the three previous special prosecutor teams, concluded its extensive 180-day investigation on August 23.

The special investigation team is scheduled to hold a final briefing on the morning of August 24 at its office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, to present a comprehensive summary of the investigative outcomes. As of this date, the number of people referred to trial by the team has reached 58, including former President Yoon Suk Yeol and Mrs. Kim Keon Hee. Specifically, 7 were indicted under detention, while 51 individuals and corporations were indicted without detention. In particular, by employing a so-called "heavy-tail strategy" concentrated at the end of the investigation, the team filed a flurry of indictments—over 40 in the last two weeks alone.

Changyoung Kwon and Deputy Special Prosecutor Jimi Kim of the 2nd Comprehensive Special Investigation Team are briefing on investigation-related matters at the Gwacheon Special Prosecutor's Office on the 20th. Photo by Yonhap News

The most notable investigative achievement concerns suspicions related to the relocation of the presidential residence under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. In June, the special investigation team officially indicted former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang Min, former Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Dae Ki, former Presidential Secretary for General Affairs Yoon Jae Soon, and former Administrative Secretary Kim Oh Jin as a first batch, applying charges of illegal appropriation and execution of state funds. Subsequently, Mrs. Kim Keon Hee, Assemblyman Yoon Han Hong of the People Power Party, and Kim Tae Young, CEO of 21 Grams, were also brought to court in succession.

The list of those indicted also includes Yoo Byung Ho, Board Member of the Board of Audit and Inspection, along with relevant officials, who have been at the center of suspicions regarding efforts to cover up the investigation. The investigation is thus seen to have greatly expanded, not only addressing the alleged preferential treatment in the presidential residence relocation inherited from the previous Kim Keon Hee special team, but also allegations of illegal diversion of state funds by the Presidential Office and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, as well as suspicions of "lenient oversight" by the Board of Audit and Inspection.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, former Director for National Security Shin Won Sik, and former First Deputy Director for National Security Kim Tae Hyo were also indicted for instructing the dissemination of messages supporting the December 3 Martial Law to the United States and key allied countries.

Additionally, former Presidential Office Secretary for Public Discipline Lee Siwon was indicted for allegedly leaking confidential information related to the "Sergeant Chae incident," while former Army Counterintelligence Commander Hwang Yu Sung and former Marine Corps Counterintelligence Commander Moon Yeon Cheol faced trial over accusations of downplaying and concealing reports of the "VIP rage incident."

However, the investigation exposed clear limitations in failing to reach definitive conclusions on other major matters, such as the Noh Sang Won Notebook allegations, suspicions of presidential office interference in the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation, and the Seoul–Yangpyeong Expressway case. Despite being the largest and longest-running investigation in history, it leaves behind a significant number of unsolved cases, prompting criticism both inside and outside legal circles that it amounted to a "half-hearted investigation."

The previous Kim Keon Hee special team succeeded in prosecuting working-level officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, but failed to reach a conclusion regarding former Minister Won Hee Ryong, who was strongly suspected to be at the core of the route change. At the time, the case was handed over to the National Office of Investigation at the National Police Agency, and the Comprehensive Special Investigation Team subsequently took over. The team imposed a travel ban on former Minister Won, summoned him twice, and even conducted a forensic analysis on his mobile phone, but was ultimately unable to prove the allegations and has now decided to refer the case back to the National Office of Investigation.

The "Noh Sang Won Notebook" suspicions have also descended into a deadlock. The investigation team conducted thorough on-site verifications of facilities recorded as the "collecting station" in the notebook, including the Yeonpyeong unit holding facility, using helicopters. It also rigorously questioned former Minister of Defense Kim Yong Hyeon as a suspect for conspiracy and attempted insurrection. However, as key testimony from former Commander Noh was not obtained, the allegations could not be substantiated.

Suspicions of presidential office interference in the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation followed a similar trajectory. In March, the comprehensive team announced it had found evidence that the Presidential Office was involved in the investigation into the Ssangbangwool remittance-to-North Korea case, and requested the case be transferred to the Human Rights Violation Task Force of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, which began a full-scale investigation in April. At the time, the team labeled this a "mega-scale government manipulation case by state power" and pledged a tough investigation, but ultimately, with little progress, it appears the case will be handed over to another institution.

As a result, the unresolved core suspicions have now entirely become the responsibility of the police. Throughout the investigation, the comprehensive team also faced a series of controversies, large and small. In April, Deputy Special Prosecutor Kim Jimi appeared on a media outlet with progressive leanings to brief on main targets and ongoing developments, sparking debate over the fairness and neutrality of the investigation. Another incident occurred when Deputy Special Prosecutor Kwon Young Bin, initially assigned to the Suwon investigation interference case, had to be replaced after his previous legal defense of major case stakeholders came to light.

Controversy also erupted as key figures involved in insurrection allegations received dramatically reversed outcomes. The team indicted Hong Jang Won, former First Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service, who had revealed former President Yoon's directive to "arrest all of them," and Colonel Cho Seong Hyun, former Commander of the 1st Security Battalion under the Capital Defense Command, who was awarded a medal for instructing the units heading to the National Assembly at the time not to "cross Seogang Bridge," this time for participation in insurrection.

These individuals were previously considered crucial witnesses for the prosecution in the insurrection investigation into former President Yoon and others. The insurrection special investigation team even submitted an opinion stating, "We cannot find any reason to overturn the public review and deliberation by the Ministry of National Defense and Cabinet, and thus to put Cho Seong Hyun on trial," but the comprehensive team pressed on, asserting "an indictment is warranted" and proceeded with prosecution.

A prosecutor with experience working with previous special investigation teams predicted, "Given the conflicts between the teams, legal battles will likely continue during the trial phase as well." Another legal expert pointed out, "Those who chose to indict must not simply go back to their previous posts, leaving the work of sustaining the prosecution unfinished."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.