Board of Audit and Inspection: "Serious Abuse of Audit Authority in Statistics and West Sea Audits Under Yoon Administration"...Data on Choi Jaehae and Yoo Byungho Handed to National Office of Investigation

"Coercive Investigations and Unlawful Forensics Targeted Senior Officials of Previous Administration"
Nine Audit Team Members Reported for Abuse of Authority
"Cloned Mobile Phones Not Subject to Seizure Arbitrarily Provided to Prosecutors"

The Board of Audit and Inspection concluded that, during its audits of the national statistics compilation process and the killing of a civil servant in the West Sea under the Moon Jae-in administration, there were instances of coercive investigations targeting former senior government officials, illegal digital forensics, and requests for investigations that were made without verifying the consistency of evidence. The Board of Audit and Inspection handed over information on ten individuals—including former Chairman Choi Jaehae, Audit Committee Member Yoo Byungho, and former Secretary General Choi Dalyeong—to the National Office of Investigation. Additionally, nine staff members who handled the statistics audit have been reported to law enforcement on charges including abuse of authority.

On the 27th, the Board of Audit and Inspection announced the findings of the "Parliamentary Investigation Follow-up Task Force (TF)" inspection team, stating, "There was serious abuse of audit authority during the statistics and West Sea audits, including coercive audits, evidence fabrication, and violations of privacy and the right to self-determination regarding personal information."

This investigation was initiated because, during the parliamentary probe in April, suspicions were raised about coercive audits, abuse of digital forensics, and the reliability of evidence in investigation requests related to the statistics and West Sea audits. On April 29, the Board organized a follow-up TF comprising an inspection team and a statistics audit review team. The inspection team interviewed 32 audited persons and comprehensively investigated the audit process using recordings and notes from the time.

"High-pressure Investigations to Secure Desired Testimonies... Including Statements Never Made in Question-and-Answer Sheets"

The issue most strongly highlighted by the Board was the statistics audit. It determined that the audit "targeted high-level officials from the previous administration, abusing the state audit authority as a coercive tool." The inspection found that, to obtain testimonies desired by their superiors, some auditors used high-pressure language and behavior toward those being audited and coerced them into making false statements. The Board further concluded that so-called "tailored investigations" took place, with statements that had not actually been made by those audited inserted into the question-and-answer records.

The Board of Audit and Inspection also confirmed illegalities in the digital forensics process. Even though the requirements for forensic examination of personal mobile phones were not met, forensic procedures proceeded, infringing upon the rights of those audited to participate and collecting private information unrelated to the audit subject matter.

The Board found that, particularly with regard to the request for investigation relating to the statistics audit, the Board's own process for confirming the consistency of evidence was effectively rendered null. It explained that allegations were constructed using evidence obtained through coercive investigations, as well as speculative statements from third parties that were not verified by those concerned. The Board stated, "The process for verifying evidence consistency was rendered ineffective, resulting in the submission of investigation requests to the prosecution that included inaccurate or unsupported information."

Copies of Mobile Phones Not Targeted for Seizure Were Also Provided to Prosecutors

Violations of due process were also identified in cooperation with investigative agencies. According to the Board of Audit and Inspection, the audit team at that time held onto copies of numerous individual mobile phones that were collected without proper procedures, instead of destroying them. During the subsequent prosecution's search and seizure, these materials were not designated as items to be seized but were nevertheless voluntarily handed over to prosecutors. The Board determined that "all illegally collected mobile phone copies were provided to prosecutors in circumvention of the warrant requirement."

Similar problems were found in the West Sea audit. Audited persons were pressured, such as being induced to withdraw legitimate requests to record the proceedings or being subjected to offensive remarks, and it was found that forensic copies that should have been destroyed after final selection and collection were instead retained.

The Board of Audit and Inspection further stated that forensic procedures were conducted on personal mobile phones even when requirements were not met, and that copies containing materials unrelated to the audit, which were supposed to be destroyed, were kept at relevant agencies and then provided—even if not subject to seizure—when the prosecution executed search and seizure warrants.

Choi Jaehae, Yoo Byungho, Choi Dalyeong and 10 Others: Data Transferred to National Office of Investigation...9 Audit Team Members Reported

Yoo Byungho, Audit Committee Member (Deputy Minister level) of the Board of Audit and Inspection, against whom an arrest warrant was requested on charges of abuse of authority, is attending the detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on July 20, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Based on the findings, the Board has initiated both criminal and administrative measures against those involved. On this day, ten individuals—including former Chairman Choi Jaehae, Audit Committee Member Yoo Byungho, and former Secretary General Choi Dalyeong—who were involved in the statistics and West Sea audits, had investigative reference materials handed over to the National Office of Investigation. Among them, seven are former or current officials of bureau director level or higher. Separately, nine audit team staff members in charge of the statistics audit have been reported to investigative agencies on charges including abuse of authority, obstruction of the execution of official duties by fraudulent means, and falsification of official documents.

There will also be administrative accountability. The Board of Audit and Inspection requested disciplinary actions such as termination or dismissal against a total of ten officials involved in the statistics audit, including one bureau director. For those involved in the West Sea audit, given that the disciplinary period had expired, twelve officials—including two bureau directors—were given written warnings. This investigation's findings are also expected to directly impact the future re-examination of the statistics audit. The Board announced plans to sequentially proceed with the review process for the statistics audit based on the inspection team's findings.

The Board stated, "We consider the coercive audits, evidence fabrication, and violations of privacy and the right to self-determination regarding personal information revealed in this investigation to be extremely serious abuses of audit authority," and added, "All possible efforts, including immediate institutional reforms and staff education to improve awareness, will be made to prevent any recurrence of such incidents."

Meanwhile, some staff members have disputed the announcement, claiming it is inconsistent with the facts. In a statement, some staff who participated in the statistics audit and were investigated by the TF said, "We did our utmost to clarify the objective facts and to ascertain the substantive truth," and added, "It is very regrettable and perplexing to be assessed so differently after several years." They continued, "The TF's investigation was conducted according to a predetermined conclusion of coercive audit and testimony fabrication," claiming instead that "the TF, without due process, accessed the mobile phone materials of those audited and distorted the facts."

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