Special Prosecutor for Insurrection Faces Difficulty Securing Testimony as 2nd Special Prosecutor Investigation Expands
The special prosecutor for insurrection is having difficulty securing testimony, and the sustainability of the prosecution in the trial is being shaken by the follow-up special prosecutor investigation Reviewing the impact on the trial and key issues amid changes in key witnesses such as former deputy director Hong Jang-won
The special prosecution team that has been investigating cases related to the insurrection said it is having difficulty securing testimony for trial because the subsequent special prosecution has expanded its investigation. In the legal community, there is analysis that this is also affecting the ongoing trials in the insurrection cases.
According to reports, activeduty military personnel who had been investigated as witnesses and were cooperative in the earlier insurrection special prosecution recently became suspects in the second comprehensive special prosecution on related charges and, as a result, refused to testify in court. The special prosecution explained that they had clammed up, saying that their testimony in trial could be used unfavorably in other investigations.
Hong Jangwon, the former First Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service, who is regarded as a key witness, has also been booked as a suspect in the second special prosecution and is under investigation. The insurrection special prosecution believes that former Deputy Director Hong's testimony was crucial in proving the charges against the main defendants, but it expressed concern that the followup investigation has increased the burden of maintaining the prosecution.