Former Prosecutor Kim Sang-min Referred to Prosecution Over 'Gadeokdo Attack' Cover-Up Allegations; Police Find 'No Mastermind'

[Reporter] The Gadeokdo Attack Task Force under the National Office of Investigation of the National Police Agency announced today the final results of its six-month reinvestigation into the attack on President Lee Jae-myung in Gadeokdo, Busan, which occurred in January 2024.

The police concluded that after conducting multiple rounds of profiling and forensic analysis on the mobile phone of the attacker, a man in his 60s surnamed Kim, no additional mastermind or organization behind the attack was identified.

Although Kim was sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempted murder, rumors regarding a potential mastermind had been raised, particularly within political circles.

The police determined that Kim had been watching far-right YouTube videos for several hours a day since 2018, selectively consuming information related to President Lee. The police concluded that he fell into confirmation bias, which led to the crime.

While there was assistance from a former colleague, the police explained that no evidence was found to identify any other mastermind behind the attack.

Furthermore, regarding allegations of attempting to downplay or cover up the Gadeokdo attack, the police announced that they have referred three officials from the National Intelligence Service's (NIS) counter-terrorism department to the prosecution on charges including the creation of false official documents.

Kim Sang-min, a former prosecutor who was dispatched to the NIS as a special legal advisor at the time, is accused of creating false official documents, such as downplaying the weapon used in the attack to a "box cutter" during the legal review process to determine whether the incident constituted an act of terrorism.

The police explained that two other officials from the NIS counter-terrorism department drafted a joint investigation report and notified relevant ministries even though the official results from the joint counter-terrorism investigation team had not yet been released on the day of the incident.

Reported by Yoo Soo-Hwan | Video by Choi Hye-young | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.