Yoon Seok-yeol, the former president, is under controversy for multiple phone calls with Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae throughout the investigation into First Lady Kim Gun-hee.
On the 16th, JTBC reported that it had obtained the personal cell phone call records of former President Yoon, revealing that he had been in contact with Minister Park several times during the investigation into Kim Gun-hee from March to November last year.
From May of last year, when the investigation into the 'Dior bag bribery suspicion' intensified, there were at least 15 documented calls between Yoon and Minister Park.
This has raised suspicions about the possibility of influencing the investigation process.
Notably, a significant call took place on May 4 of last year at 9:36 AM, the day after then-Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok directed a prompt investigation into Kim's Dior bag bribery case.
Immediately after the dedicated investigation team was formed, the former prosecutor general continued to communicate with Minister Park after requesting that "the prosecutor's appointment be postponed."
Moreover, on May 12 of last year, Yoon had four calls with Minister Park within a single day, with the prosecutor reshuffle occurring the following day, May 13.
Among the eight senior prosecutors assisting the prosecutor general, six were replaced, along with substantial changes in the central prosecution team commanding the investigation into the First Lady.
At that time, the prosecutor general expressed dissatisfaction, stating, "(I will) not comment further regarding the personnel changes."
There appears to be a temporal correlation between the calls between the president and the Minister of Justice and the results of investigations.
The call patterns between former President Yoon and Minister Park were concentrated on key phases of the investigation related to Kim Gun-hee.
During the weekend leading up to the exoneration in the Dior bag investigation, there were two calls exchanged, and on May 15 of last year, it was confirmed that Minister Park directly called former President Yoon.
The Ministry of Justice stated regarding these call records to JTBC, "The calls between the minister and the president are something that can occur in a normal course," and added, "There is nothing particularly to say about the calls."
Minister Park was known to be one of the members meeting with former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min in an off-the-record gathering in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, the evening after the declaration of martial law on December 4 of last year, and was recognized as a close associate of former President Yoon.
Image source: Former President Yoon Seok-yeol / News1, Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae / News1, Former President Yoon Seok-yeol and First Lady Kim Gun-hee / News1
