The special prosecutor team investigating allegations of obstruction and delay in the investigation of the Cha Sang-byeong case by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) questioned Oh Dong-woon, the CIO chief, for approximately 13 hours on the 1st as a suspect.

The special prosecutor team summoned CIO chief Oh at 9:30 AM and sent him home around 10:20 PM.

After the investigation, CIO chief Oh did not answer any questions from reporters, such as 'What do you think of the special prosecutor's investigation into the CIO?' and 'How did you explain the failure to notify the Supreme Prosecutors' Office?', and boarded a prepared vehicle.

Earlier this morning, as he arrived at the special prosecutor's office, CIO chief Oh denied the charges, stating to reporters asking if he admitted to the charges, "It is part of normal investigative activities."

CIO chief Oh is accused of dereliction of duty for delaying the investigation for about a year by not notifying the Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the case in which Song Chang-jin, former CIO deputy prosecutor, was accused of perjury in the National Assembly in relation to the Cha Sang-byeong case.

According to the CIO Act, the CIO chief must notify the Supreme Prosecutors' Office with related materials if a criminal suspicion against a prosecutor under his/her jurisdiction is discovered.

Former Deputy Prosecutor Song Chang-jin was accused by Democratic Party lawmakers for stating in the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee in July last year that he was unaware of the involvement of Lee Jong-ho, former CEO of Black Pearl Investment, in the alleged pressure to influence the Marine Corps investigation.

Democratic Party lawmakers considered the statement to be perjury, given that former Deputy Prosecutor Song, as the acting CIO deputy chief at the time, was being briefed on the progress of the Cha Sang-byeong case investigation.

Former Deputy Prosecutor Song, who is at the center of the case, is referred to as a prosecutor close to Yoon Suk-yeol. He previously worked with former President Yoon Suk-yeol at the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office in 2009 and at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Investigation Bureau in 2011. They also share the commonality of being "special investigation" prosecutors.

Former Deputy Prosecutor Song also faced controversy for not applying for recusal for about a year after the investigation into the alleged pressure on the Cha Sang-byeong investigation began, despite having represented former CEO Lee Jong-ho, who was under investigation for stock manipulation in the Deutsch Motors case in 2021.

Former Prosecutor Song Chang-jin summoned by the Marine Corps special prosecutor. Yonhap News. 

The special prosecutor team also found evidence that former Deputy Prosecutor Song wrote a report asserting his innocence just days after the CIO received the accusation from the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee in August last year.

It is reported that former Deputy Prosecutor Park Seok-il, who wrote the report, reported it to CIO chief Oh.

The special prosecutor team is believed to have focused its questioning on CIO chief Oh about whether he delayed notification to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to protect former Deputy Prosecutor Song, or if the CIO had preemptively concluded he was innocent before the investigation into former Deputy Prosecutor Song even began.

Last month, the special prosecutor team summoned and questioned former Deputy Prosecutor Park, CIO Deputy Chief Lee Jae-seung, and former Deputy Prosecutor Song, who were involved in this case, in succession.

Coincidentally, on the day CIO chief Oh was questioned regarding the case of former Deputy Prosecutor Song, former Deputy Prosecutor Song himself was also summoned by the special prosecutor team. He reportedly appeared for questioning as a witness in relation to the alleged evasion of former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup to Australia.

At the time of former Minister Lee's appointment as Ambassador to Australia and his departure in March of last year, while he was under investigation by the CIO as a suspect in the alleged pressure to influence the Cha Sang-byeong case investigation, former Deputy Prosecutor Song was acting as the CIO chief.

Lee Jong-ho, former CEO of Black Pearl Investment, also appeared for questioning as a witness for approximately 11 hours today, in connection with the alleged lobbying efforts to protect former Division Commander Lim Sung-geun.

Upon leaving after his questioning, former CEO Lee stated to reporters, "I have never seen or met former Division Commander Lim," and argued, "We need to investigate why the witnesses made false statements."

Regarding the special prosecutor team's application of the charge of destruction of evidence, he raised his voice, saying, "I simply discarded the mobile phone after receiving it back, following the seizure and search. How can that be destruction of evidence?"

The special prosecutor team suspects that former CEO Lee, who is known as an associate of First Lady Kim Keon-hee, exerted influence to have former Division Commander Lim excluded from the list of suspects in the Cha Sang-byeong death case. Previously, statements were obtained from numerous witnesses, including actor Park Sung-woong, indicating that former CEO Lee and former Division Commander Lim had been close friends for a long time.

Former CEO Lee was also the person who directly managed First Lady Kim Keon-hee's accounts during the second phase of the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation. He was recently arrested and indicted on charges of violating the Attorneys-at-Law Act during the investigation by the Kim Keon-hee special prosecutor team.

Former Black Pearl Investment CEO Lee Jong-ho heading to the special prosecutor's office. Yonhap News. 

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