◀ Anchor ▶
The President’s Office still maintains that it was unaware of former Minister Lee Jong-seop’s ban on leaving the country prior to his appointment as ambassador to Australia.
There is also an atmosphere of shifting responsibility to the Ministry of Justice, which was in charge of personnel verification.
The opposition party went on the offensive, saying that it was a lie that the President’s Office did not know, and that it was the President who ultimately led the escape of the main suspect.
This is reporter Kang Yeon-seop.
◀ Report ▶
In response to MBC’s question about when former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop was nominated as the successor ambassador, a high-ranking official from the President’s Office responded, “Several months ago.”
He said he did not even know he was the subject of an investigation at the time of his nomination.
As the former Australian ambassador was about to retire in December of last year, it is possible that former Minister Lee was appointed as his successor before then.
The problem is next.
The High-ranking Public Officials Crime Investigation Office began a mandatory investigation into suspicions of external pressure in the case of Corporal Chae in mid-January.
[뉴스데스크 (2024년 1월 17일)]
“The Corruption Investigation Agency is seizing and searching his closest associates, and it appears to be targeting former Minister Lee Jong-seop and his superiors.”
It is said that the President’s Office was not aware of former Minister Lee’s ban on leaving the country until his appointment on the 4th of this month, nearly two months later.
A high-ranking official in the Presidential Office said, “In the personnel materials sent by the Ministry of Justice, there was no indication of whether former Minister Lee was banned from leaving the country.”
The Ministry of Justice, which decides on bans on leaving the country upon request from investigative agencies, is also in charge of personnel verification under the current administration.
It is questionable that the Ministry of Justice omitted the fact that former Minister Lee was banned from leaving the country from the personnel information and sent it to the President’s Office.
A legal official in charge of immigration control said, “In the case of major suspects, when a ban on leaving the country is decided, the department in charge must report this to the head of the Immigration Headquarters, the head of the Prosecutor’s Office, the vice minister, and the minister.”
In particular, in this case where even officials of the President’s Office are suspected of being involved, the fact that former Minister Lee was banned from leaving the country cannot help but be reported to the President’s Office.”
The opposition party said that it was false that the President’s Office was unaware of the withdrawal and criticized President Yoon for leading the embezzlement of the suspect.
[홍익표/더불어민주당 원내대표]
“(The president) concealed the pressure from outside the investigation related to the death of Chae Sang-byeong and neglected, or rather led, the escape of the main suspect in the case abroad.”
People Power Party Emergency Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon said that the President’s Office would not have been aware of the Ministry of Justice’s ban on leaving the country in advance.
This is Kang Yeon-seop from MBC News.
Video coverage: Hwang Sang-wook / Video editing: Woo Seong-ho
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