Former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung appears as an accused on the 21st at the office of the Special Prosecutor for Rebellion, Cho Eun-seok, set up at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the failure to file an immediate appeal against the revocation of the detention of former President Yoon Suk-yeol. Yonhap News. 

The special prosecution team, investigating the rebellion and foreign exchange cases related to the December 3rd state of emergency, summoned former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung as an accused and questioned him for over 17 and a half hours.

Shim, who appeared at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office around 10 a.m. on the 21st, was investigated for approximately 17 hours and 36 minutes, including the review of the transcript, and left the building around 3:36 a.m. on the 22nd. Reviewing the transcript alone took over 5 hours and 30 minutes.

Upon completing the investigation and exiting through the main entrance, Shim did not answer any questions such as, "Do you have any regrets about the decision to forgo an immediate appeal against former President Yoon Suk-yeol's release from custody?" "What is your stance on the suspicion that you were ordered by former Justice Minister Park Sung-hyun to dispatch prosecutors to the joint investigation headquarters?" or "Please reveal your feelings." He then left the building.

Previously, the ruling party and civic groups filed a complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) against Shim, accusing him of abuse of power and dereliction of duty for failing to file an immediate appeal against the court's decision to revoke former President Yoon's detention in March. The CIO transferred the case to the special prosecution team upon its inauguration in June.

Former President Yoon, who was arrested and indicted on charges including leading a rebellion, filed a request with the court to revoke his detention in March, arguing that his indictment was issued after his detention period expired. The court granted his request.

At the time, the investigation team suggested filing an immediate appeal against the court's decision to revoke detention and seek a ruling from a higher court. However, after deliberations including a meeting of the Prosecutor General's office chiefs, Shim decided not to file an immediate appeal, considering potential constitutional issues, and directed the release of former President Yoon.

The special prosecution team is also said to have confirmed facts regarding suspicions of dispatching prosecutors during the state of emergency with Shim on that day.

There are allegations that former Minister Park issued an order during a meeting of Justice Ministry officials shortly after the declaration of martial law to "review the dispatch of prosecutors to the joint investigation headquarters."

Minister Park and Shim had three phone calls between 11 p.m. on December 3rd of last year and the early morning of the following day. The special prosecution team is investigating the possibility that an order for prosecutor dispatch was conveyed during these calls.

Minister Park's side stated that the calls with Shim were "conversations to the effect of needing to consider in advance how to proceed if a dispatch request came," and denied ordering the dispatch of prosecutors.

Former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung appears as an accused on the 21st at the office of the Special Prosecutor for Rebellion, Cho Eun-seok, set up at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the failure to file an immediate appeal against the revocation of the detention of former President Yoon Suk-yeol. Yonhap News. 

There are also suspicions that a prosecutor from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office contacted the Military Counterintelligence Command during the state of emergency and was then dispatched to the National Election Commission.

It is reported that the police obtained testimony to the effect of "receiving an order to support the prosecutor and the National Intelligence Service, who would be arriving at the National Election Commission after the declaration of martial law" during the investigation of counterintelligence agents.

Conversely, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office countered, stating, "We did not receive any dispatch requests related to martial law from any organization, including the counterintelligence command, nor did we dispatch anyone."

Previously, the special prosecution team conducted searches and seizures on August 25th of Minister Park's residence, the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and Shim's mobile phone, among other locations, to secure physical evidence that would clarify the truth behind the related suspicions. On the 19th, they received some of the seized items related to Minister Park, which were secured by the special prosecution team investigating the deceased Corporal Lee's case.

The special prosecution team is expected to summon Minister Park as early as this week to investigate the overall suspicions, including the dispatch of prosecutors.

Yonhap News