Search of former justice minister

[Anchor]

The special counsel team for the insurrection has conducted a search and seizure of former Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae.

Park, a former cabinet member, was one of the first government officials called by then-President Yoon Suk Yeol on the day martial law was declared.

While also verifying whether the prosecution cooperated with the martial law, former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung has likewise become a target of the search.

Reporter Kim Young-hoon has more.

[Report]

The special counsel team for the insurrection has searched the home and office of former Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae.

He is accused of being involved in former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s emergency martial law, specifically “engaging in important duties related to insurrection.”

[Park Sung-jae/Former Minister of Justice/First impeachment trial hearing, Mar. 2025: "It has already been revealed that there is no evidence to prove that I colluded, conspired, or cooperated with the declaration of martial law."]

Investigators view a meeting of bureau chiefs at the Ministry of Justice, chaired by Park on the day martial law was declared, as evidence of conspiracy.

They suspect that during the meeting, Park instructed the Criminal Affairs Bureau to “consider dispatching prosecutors to the joint investigation headquarters,” the Immigration Service to “prepare a team for travel bans,” and the Correctional Service to “check detention capacity.”

They are investigating whether this was to assist in the operation of the so-called “politician arrest team” ordered by former President Yoon.

Based on testimony from meeting attendees and Correctional Service officials, investigators searched the Seoul Detention Center and secured items including the mobile phone of the then-head of the Correctional Service.

They also searched the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office to determine whether former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung had discussed “mobilizing prosecutors to enter the Election Commission.”

Previously, Shim was accused of neglect of duty after the court decided to cancel former President Yoon’s detention without an immediate appeal.

[Shim Woo-jung/Former Prosecutor General/Mar. 2025: "After the indictment, the authority to decide custody lies with the court, so I respected the court’s decision."]

Park’s side maintains that the meeting was intended to discuss responses to martial law, and that instructions such as sending prosecutors or checking detention capacity were general directives for preparedness.

This has been Kim Young-hoon, KBS News.