Seoul: Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk's team has initiated a compulsory investigation into former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae and former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung, launching simultaneous raids on the justice ministry and the Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO) on Monday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Assistant Special Counsel Park Ji-young announced in a media briefing that searches and seizures were being conducted at Park's home, the justice ministry, the SPO, the Seoul Detention Center, and other locations. The raids are focused on Park and Shim, both of whom are under scrutiny for their roles related to the Dec. 3 martial law declaration.
It is notably uncommon for a former justice minister and a former prosecutor general to undergo search and seizure operations simultaneously. Park is accused of failing to prevent former President Yoon Suk Yeol's implementation of martial law and of aiding the illegal action. He was among the six Cabinet members initially contacted by Yoon to discuss the martial law plan. Additionally, Park is suspected of directing his ministry to consider deploying a prosecutor to the joint investigation headquarters shortly after the martial law was announced.
Shim is facing investigation on charges related to abuse of power, specifically concerning his failure to appeal a court decision that overturned Yoon's arrest in March.