Police Commissioner and Seoul Commissioner's Arrest Warrant... Secured 'Kim Yong-hyun Security Phone'

■ Host: Anchor Jeong Jin-hyung and anchor Lee Eun-sol
■ Starring: Reporter of the Ministry of Social Affairs Kim Youngsoo Kim


* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information. Please specify [YTN New Square 8PM] when quoting.

[Anchor]
Police investigating the martial law situation have applied for arrest warrants for Police Commissioner Jo Ji-ho and Seoul Police Commissioner Kim Bong-sik. The police also secured former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun's security phone through seizure and search. Let's point it out with a reporter from the Ministry of Social Affairs, Youngsoo Kim. Please come in. The police filed an arrest warrant for the police chief and the Seoul police chief. I told you this, but I heard that it was the law enforcement that requested an arrest warrant?

[Reporter]
That's right. Earlier, the prosecution arrested former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. This is the first time that the police investigating the case have applied for an arrest warrant. Commissioner Jo Ji-ho and Seoul Commissioner Kim Bong-sik are the leaders of the police. I've filed an arrest warrant for both of them. The charges are the same as those of former Minister Kim Yong-hyun. Insurrection is an important missionary charge. The two men are accused of blocking access to the National Assembly by mobilizing troops on the day of martial law.

[Anchor]
Two people, it has been confirmed that they have received martial law-related instructions from the President of Yoon Suk Yeol?

[Reporter]
At first, Commissioner Jo Ji-ho said he knew about this through the media when martial law was declared, and he also said he waited at the National Police Agency for about four hours after being contacted by the presidential office. However, the police investigated and confirmed that the two met the president at the president's house in Yoon Suk Yeol about three hours before the emergency declaration. Former Minister Kim Yong-hyun was also here. The president of Yoon Suk Yeol gave a one-page A4 paper directive here, which stated the contents of martial law and the targets to be controlled. The targets of control included the National Assembly, MBC, and Democratic Party of Korea. Even if you saw the report of Yang Dong-hoon a while ago, you saw his career gathering around the Democratic Party of Korea. It seems necessary to investigate whether there was actually an order or whether the career moved because of it.

[Anchor]
And former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun's security phone, which was widely known as a non-face-to-face phone, was also secured.

[Reporter]
He was the first person to be arrested on charges of rebellion after martial law. Former Minister Kim Yong-hyun and former Minister Kim Yong-hyun can be seen as important figures in revealing the facts of the incident, but the police failed to secure a security phone in the initial search and seizure of former Minister Kim Yong-hyun's office and diplomatic missions. The Ministry of National Defense sealed this, and the police investigation team secured it through seizure and search today. At the same time, in the case of security phones, you have to look at the server to see the communication details. So, the search and seizure of the server is ongoing so far.

[Anchor]
The prosecution also summoned Minister Cho Kyu-hong today, what do you think they will grasp?

[Reporter]
First of all, Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong is a suspect. I'm being summoned by the prosecution. It's the 3rd. One of the members of the State Council who attended the State Council on the day of the State Council on the declaration of martial law. At that time, I wondered because medical personnel were included in the decree. I think I will understand the circumstances, and I think I will investigate what the Minister Cho Kyu-hong expressed his intention and how other ministers spoke. Earlier, the police said they had summoned the members of the State Council and investigated one person as a reference, but Minister Cho Kyu-hong is the first person to be summoned and investigated as a suspect.

[Anchor]
The prosecution is also speeding up its military-related investigation, what is it about?

[Reporter]
That's right. Yeo In-hyeong, the former counterintelligence commander, has been summoned by the prosecution for questioning. Today, it can be seen as a second survey. It's the 10th. I attended the prosecution two days ago and was investigated. He was a suspect at the time, but he was not arrested like former Minister Kim Yong-hyun. In the meantime, the prosecution called Jang Sung-woo, the first chief of the counterintelligence agency, and Na Seung-min, the head of Shinwon Security Office, as a reference to investigate. I think it was a process of cross-verifying the statements of the counterintelligence commander. The prosecution will also seize and search the radiation today. As reported, the prosecution seems to be speeding up its investigation into the military because it is sending 12 military prosecutors to investigate. First of all, former Minister Kim Yong-hyun was arrested, and counterintelligence agents and special forces officers were raided and searched today.

[Anchor]
If this happens, the investigation into the president, who is considered the peak of the civil war, will be inevitable, and attention is being paid to what form it will be.

[Reporter]
All investigative agencies will see the last peak as the president, but they are very interested in how to do it. That's why I spoke to three lawyers today. I asked because I was curious about the possibility of an emergency arrest, and two lawyers mentioned the contents of the president's statement today. He said the content of the discourse strongly denies the allegations and can be interpreted as having the potential to destroy evidence. In particular, a lawyer said that the last thing left to judge the emergency arrest was the urgency, and I think that was completed with this discourse. It is said that the risk of recidivism is important in judging urgency. I think it's satisfied to some extent. However, there are practical difficulties. Emergency arrest is done without a warrant, so you have to break through the security office and arrest the president. In that case, there could be friction. There is a prospect that it will be practically difficult because physical forces can collide. In addition, there was another doubt that even if an arrest was made, the investigative agency could independently make an arrest without the court's judgment. The next step is to get an arrest warrant, but this is usually done when they ask to be summoned two or three times, but they don't come out. So the conclusion is to request an arrest warrant after notification of summons and investigation, the most common or the most basic procedure, but since this is urgent, the summons can be made quickly to meet various conditions. That's what I think.

[Anchor]
It's a situation where each agency continues to speed up the current investigation situation, but is it true that there is a lot of controversy over the subject of the investigation? So yesterday, we also reported on the news that the joint investigation headquarters was established, but there was the first meeting today about it?

[Reporter]
That's right. The police, the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, and the Ministry of National Defense have decided to work together on martial law-related investigations. They said they had a working-level meeting for the first time today, but no specific details of the discussion were delivered. However, according to the explanation of the Joint Investigation Headquarters, didn't you say that former Minister Kim Yong-hyun's security phone was confiscated today? There was an explanation that this was the first achievement of the launch of the joint investigation headquarters. But now the prosecution continues to investigate separately from the joint investigation headquarters. Prosecutors can request arrest warrants and arrest warrants filed by police. The Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit can also do it on its own, but the prosecution is the only place the police can apply for arrest warrants and arrest warrants. So, even if a search and seizure are conducted, the police have no choice but to go through the prosecution if they want to arrest or detain someone. So the prosecution is essential for the police investigation to speed up. However, there has not been a report yet that a new organization, including the prosecution, will be created.

[Anchor]
So it's true that you feel frustrated, but is it okay for the investigation to go in two branches like this?

[Reporter]
There are concerns from various legal professions. First of all, from evidence collection to investigation, there are concerns that there may be a question of whether it was legal when it is later passed through the trial process or like this. The other thing is that it allows the suspects to choose an investigative agency and go out. In fact, the police also summoned the members of the State Council who attended the Cabinet meeting. But didn't Minister Cho Kyu-hong go to the prosecution today? In this way, I don't know if I went out because I had an advantage, but anyway, I was able to choose between the two. Also, the prosecution said today that they were searching for water radiation. However, the police are also conducting a raid. That's why the police and the prosecution are going out together in the same place. It is necessary to check the specific location or what objects overlap, but it seems difficult for the people to accept that this is not even negotiated.

[Anchor]
We have comprehensively reviewed the ever-changing martial law investigation. I was a reporter for the Youngsoo Kim of the Ministry of Social Affairs. Thank you.