Complainant Kim (left) and lawyer Kwon Oh-yong attend a press conference on the 5th.

The police, currently investigating Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Freedom and Innovation Party, for alleged violations of the Public Official Election Act, have been accused of arbitrarily creating and manipulating a witness statement. This has sparked serious controversy not only regarding the police's impartiality and credibility but also concerning the abuse of power, drawing significant attention to the unfolding situation.

At a press conference held in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 5th, lawyer Kwon Oh-yong, the legal representative for the complainant, stated the purpose of the lawsuit: "The police fabricated the statement to frame Representative Hwang, and a dangerous situation arose where the witness was almost forced to sign a manipulated statement."

The issue originated during the police investigation of Mr. Kim, an app system expert who was summoned as a witness in the case involving Representative Hwang Kyo-ahn.

Mr. Kim revealed his bewilderment at the police's unconventional behavior during the investigation. He said, "While being interviewed as a witness, the police claimed the statement was not saved on the computer and asked me to return after lunch to review the statement they would prepare."

However, he alleged, "Upon reviewing the statement prepared by the officer alone, I found it did not reflect what I had stated. The officer had fabricated answers according to their intentions." When Mr. Kim began to strike out and rewrite incorrect parts, the officer reportedly suggested, "Let's do it while looking at the monitor, without printing."

Before Mr. Kim could sign the statement after the review and correction process, he discovered a shocking fact in the printed document. He stated, "None of the corrections made on the monitor were reflected. They had printed the statement the officer had arbitrarily written, as it was." He added, "Although I answered that I had never spoken with Representative Hwang Kyo-ahn on the phone, the police statement suggested as if we regularly communicated by phone." He then proceeded to strike out the incorrect part again, handwrite that they were not in regular contact, stamp his fingerprint, and sign the statement.

Regarding the background of his involvement as a witness, he explained, "I developed a system for real-time counting of ballots in elections, and among the banners below the site were Hwang Kyo-ahn's Vision Camp and Bubangdae. The election commission raised this as an issue, claiming it was for the purpose of campaigning for Hwang Kyo-ahn and thus a violation of the Public Official Election Act. That's why I was summoned for questioning as a witness."

Prior to the press conference, Mr. Kim filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office against Investigator Jo, of the Public Crime Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, who investigated him, on charges of document forgery and use of forged documents.

Upon learning of the full details of the incident, Representative Hwang Kyo-ahn expressed strong regret and responded directly through his social media. Representative Hwang stated, "Isn't this preposterous? They are trying to somehow frame me and put me in jail," revealing his indignant emotions. He warned that this incident could be a serious example of the abuse of state power, saying, "How many more innocent citizens must be suffering similarly?"

Representative Hwang declared a strong stance: "Let's fight to the end! In the end, justice will prevail! We will win!"

As this allegation concerns a significant matter that could deepen public distrust in the impartiality and credibility of investigative agencies, voices of concern are growing from various sectors calling for a thorough and transparent investigation by the prosecution.

Editorial Department