Scene of the search and seizure at the home of Wi Geum-sook, Chairperson of the Special Committee for Electoral Reform of the Liberty and Innovation Party. / Captured from lawyer Park Ju-hyun's YouTube channel.

Lawyer Park Ju-hyun stated, "This search and seizure of Dr. Wi Geum-sook, a witness, was an attempt to impede former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, and there is no choice but to view this investigation as having political motives."

On the 31st, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Gwangsu Division's Public Crime Investigation Unit searched the home of Wi Geum-sook (Ph.D. in Computer Engineering), chairperson of the Special Committee for Electoral Reform of 'Liberty and Innovation,' where Hwang Kyo-ahn served as party leader, in Jung-gu, Seoul.

In a phone call with after observing the police's search and seizure, which began that morning, lawyer Park said, "I cannot understand why they are investigating and harassing citizens to this extent, whether it was an order from superiors," expressing his legal opinion.

He argued, "The police are illegally seizing and searching evidence from a witness," and raised concerns about the police's recent attempt to lure Dr. Wi through an illegal investigation disguised as a "minor traffic accident" using a voice phishing tactic. He also pointed out, "Although we stated we would fully cooperate, the police prioritized taking original documents, despite the principle of search and inspection in the seizure procedure."

He further criticized, "Even though the warrant (issued by the court) was not a full approval but a partial approval and partial rejection, thus imposing procedural limitations by the court, they attempted further deception by claiming it was a full seizure to the person whose property was seized."

According to lawyer Park, it was newly revealed that the court, after reviewing the warrant applied for by the police and requested by the prosecution, did not allow for a complete seizure. The warrant was issued with a limited scope of seizure, but there were circumstances where the on-site police supervisor deceived Dr. Wi, the person whose property was seized, as if the court had comprehensively approved all requested areas.

This is expected to cause another controversy, following the allegations that the police, on the 24th, lured Dr. Wi out of her home using a "voice phishing" tactic to conduct a forced investigation into former and current executives of the 'Special Committee for Electoral Reform and Corruption Prevention (Bupangdae)' in an attempt to secure evidence against former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn.

At the time, the police were suspected of attempting to lure Dr. Wi, who was merely a witness and not a current executive or member of Bupangdae, to come down to the underground parking lot by staging a "minor traffic accident" to meet her in person. The Liberty and Innovation Party strongly protested this.

Earlier, Dr. Wi told this newspaper in a phone call on the 26th, "A woman with a young voice called me, saying she accidentally scratched my car and was very sorry, asking me to come down to the parking lot." She recalled the situation where individuals presumed to be police officers approached her home disguised as voice phishing. "The apartment manager went down to the underground parking lot and found that the car was fine, and there were one woman and two men. They mentioned fleeing the scene and then quietly left," she claimed.

In response, lawyer Park Ju-hyun stated in a phone call on the 31st, "Continuing such flawed investigations, where illegality breeds illegality, can only be interpreted as having political motives behind it, not just stemming from a specific department within the police station," and emphasized, "Making things difficult with searches and seizures like this ahead of the APEC summit is ultimately an act to impede former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who recently visited Washington. Such illegal investigations must be eradicated."

The police reportedly attempted to execute the warrant from around 9 AM and gained entry into the residence around 11 AM. Although the door was forcibly opened, there was no damage, and they reportedly entered by bypassing the electronic door lock.

Dr. Wi had her mobile phone forcibly taken and had to obtain a temporary phone. She contacted this newspaper for the first time after the search and seizure, around 6 PM, and lamented, "Even after seeing the 'list of criminal acts' meticulously prepared by the police, they seem unable to distinguish who the criminals are."

The police confiscated Dr. Wi's mobile phone, laptop, tablet PC, and a USB drive (portable digital storage device) from her bag that day.

Dr. Wi recounted, "'These people are patriots fighting with the spirit of independence fighters saving the nation,' said lawyer Park, who was present at the scene. The investigator then asked, 'Then am I a Japanese imperial police officer?' to which I replied, 'Yes, that's how we see it.' She continued, "They are not investigating electoral fraud but rather those who report it. Isn't it fair to see it that way? Looking at the 106 so-called 'criminal lists,' do you think this is a fair election?" she said, unable to hide her frustration.

She then shared a few bewildering experiences.

She said, "One of the six investigators was a female investigator, and she said, '(The person who called) wasn't me' regarding the voice phishing suspicion. She said it without me even asking, which was absurd." She added, "Another police officer, while sealing the seized items, said, 'Our seals are of the permanent type,' which was even more astonishing. People who know that are investigating us instead of the Election Commission. Does that make any sense?" she sharply criticized.

Dr. Wi Geum-sook works as an advisor and evaluator for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and local governments, but this search and seizure has also caused significant disruptions to her government-commissioned review and advisory tasks.

Dr. Wi is expected to directly observe the police's forensic examination soon.