Comprehensive Special Counsel Requests Disciplinary Action Against Prosecutor Choi Jae-hoon Over Alleged Cover-up in Kim Keon-hee Investigation

Regarding allegations that the investigation into Deutsch Motors involving former President Yoon Suk Yeol's spouse, Kim Keon-hee, was covered up, the 2nd Comprehensive Special Counsel Team led by Kwon Chang-young has requested disciplinary action against the lead prosecutor in charge of the case at the time.

The special counsel team recently asked the Ministry of Justice to impose disciplinary measures on former Choi Jae-hoon, former chief of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

The special counsel team reportedly argued that the written opinion submitted by Prosecutor Choi's legal counsel contained contents from the prosecution's investigative report on the Deutsch Motors case, claiming that investigative records were leaked outside and used for personal legal defense.

Additionally, suspecting that Kim Soo-hong, the then-head of the Ministry of Justice's Prosecutors' Division (currently head of the Fact-Finding Investigation Task Force under the Prosecutors' Office Human Rights Respect Future Committee), tipped off Prosecutor Choi in advance about the entry of Prosecutor A—who was involved in the case and summoned from the United States in May while undergoing training—the special counsel team also requested the Ministry of Justice to initiate disciplinary procedures against Kim.

It was also reported that the special counsel team requested disciplinary action against one immigration official who failed to properly fulfill the request to notify authorities upon Prosecutor A's entry into the country.

Under the Special Counsel Act, the special counsel team can request the head of the relevant agency to take disciplinary or official action against public officials who obstruct the truth-finding process.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.