Yoo Jae-eun appears at the Corruption Investigation Office due to suspicions of external pressure on Chae Sang-byeong’s investigation

The High-ranking Public Officials Crime Investigation Office is investigating Jae-eun Yoo, a legal manager at the Ministry of National Defense, who is one of the key figures in the suspicion of external pressure in the Chae Sang-byeong case.

Prior to his appearance, Legal Affairs Manager Yoo said that the investigative agency would reveal the phone call he had with Lee Si-won, Secretary for Public Discipline in the Presidential Office.

This is reporter Na Se-woong.

◀ Report ▶

The High-ranking Public Officials Crime Investigation Office is investigating Yoo Jae-eun, a legal officer at the Ministry of National Defense, as a suspect this morning.

It has been three months since the Airborne Corruption Investigation Office conducted a surprise search and seizure of the Ministry of National Defense in January.

[유재은/법무관리관]
″I will give you a sincere answer today. The investigative agency will fully reveal this.″

Legal Affairs Manager Yoo has been pointed out as having directly called the head of the Marine Corps investigation team on July 31 last year, when former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop had suspended the transfer of the case to the police, and told him to “reduce the number of suspects and postpone the transfer.”

Then, on August 2 last year, when the Marine Corps investigation team forced the case to be transferred to the police and the Ministry of National Defense recovered the case again, it discussed with the Gyeongbuk Police Agency to retrieve the case.

The Corruption Investigation Office also obtained details of a phone call that day between Legal Affairs Manager Yoo and Lee Si-won, Secretary to the President for Public Discipline.

[유재은/법무관리관]
″ The investigative agency will tell you everything today. … … .″

Afterwards, when the Ministry of National Defense, which had recovered the case, reexamined the investigation records through the investigation headquarters, the legal affairs officer expressed the opinion, saying, “Only the two battalion commanders should be listed as suspects.”

The Corruption Investigation Office plans to check with Legal Manager Yoo under whose instructions he was involved in each process and why he spoke to Secretary Lee Si-won.

The Corruption Investigation Office is also coordinating the attendance schedule with Park Kyung-hoon, Acting Director of the Ministry of National Defense’s Investigation Headquarters, who is responsible for reviewing the investigation records, and is expected to summon and investigate key suspects one by one following Legal Affairs Manager Yoo.

This is Na Se-woong from MBC News.