2024-03-31 19:12:09
Ambassador to Australia Lee Jong-seop, who is suspected of external pressure in the death of Chae Sang-byeong of the Marine Corps, expressed his resignation on the 29th, 25 days after his appointment.
Attorney Kim Jae-hoon, who represents Ambassador Lee, said in a message to reporters that day, “Today, I expressed my gratitude to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and expressed my hope that he will be relieved of his position as ambassador to Australia and requested that he ensure that it is accepted.”
Regarding the reason for his resignation, he explained, “I (Ambassador Lee) will remain in Seoul even after the meeting of the heads of the major defense industry cooperation missions is over and will respond strongly to all procedures until the end.”
He went on to point out, “We have continued to ask the Corruption Investigation Office (High-ranking Public Officials Crime Investigation Office) to quickly investigate,” adding, “The Corruption Investigation Office has not yet set a date for the investigation.”
Ambassador Lee is being investigated after being reported to the Public Prosecution Service in September of last year on suspicion of exerting external pressure on the Marine Corps investigation team in charge of investigating the death of Corporal Chae of the Marine Corps last year while he was Minister of National Defense.
Ambassador Lee was banned from leaving the country by the Corruption Investigation Office in December of last year, but controversy over his appropriateness arose when he was appointed ambassador to Australia on the 4th of this month. Afterwards, the Corruption Investigation Office summoned Ambassador Lee on the 7th and interrogated him for about 4 hours, and the Ministry of Justice lifted the ban on leaving the country on the 8th.
At the time, the Corruption Investigation Office opposed lifting the ban on Ambassador Lee’s departure and stated that an additional summons investigation was necessary.
However, after leaving the country, the controversy over ‘fleeing abroad’ heated up, and Ambassador Lee returned to Korea on the 21st to attend a meeting of heads of missions for defense industry cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Immediately after his return to Korea, he urged the Airborne Corruption Investigation Office to investigate, saying, “Give me a chance to be investigated.”
Ambassador Lee’s side completely denies the charge of external pressure on the investigation (abuse of power). The purpose is that the charges cannot be established legally because no external pressure was used in the investigation of the Chae Sang-byeong case and the military has no investigative authority.
In a phone call with News 1 on this day, Attorney Kim explained the background of his resignation, saying, “If you want to maintain your position as ambassador, you have to go to Australia, but in that case, the Corruption Investigation Office will say that the investigation is difficult because there is no accused, and someone will say that he ran away and get taken advantage of.” .
At the same time, he said, “In order to completely block the Corruption Investigation Agency’s claims, I will abandon my position and stay in the country, so we can investigate at any time,” and added, “I will restore my honor.”
It has been reported that Ambassador Lee has submitted written opinions to the Corruption Investigation Office three times urging a recall, but has not received a separate reply.
Attorney Kim said, “The Corruption Investigation Office is a silent ‘Yonggaksan Mountain,’” and added, “Even if we talk about it, it is only a one-sided opinion from a lawyer, so we will only accept it as one position.”
The general consensus is that it is difficult to recall this ambassador anytime soon. The Corruption Investigation Office is currently in the process of analyzing the confiscated items obtained through the investigation, and has not yet investigated anyone involved in the major case. There may be criticism that a hasty summons could result in ‘impunity’ for participating in the investigation ahead of the general election.
Regarding Ambassador Lee’s resignation, the Corruption Investigation Office said, “We have nothing special to say.”
Reporter Kim Jeong-hyeon Photo News 1
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2024-03-31 19:12:09