Chief Prosecutor Questioned Regarding Death of Suspect Being Investigated

On Oct. 30th, the Internal Inspection Division of the Highest Public Prosecutors` Office (IID) called in, as a material witness, chief prosecutor Hong and questioned him regarding the death of Cho Chun-hoon, who was killed whiling being interrogated at the Seoul District Office of Public Prosecutors`. Hong`s division was in charge of investigation of the late Cho. The IID questioned Hong to find out whether he aided and abetted the tortures by the interrogating agents of Cho.

The IID will reportedly bring an aggravated conspiracy charge against Hong if the IID finds out that Hong knowingly ignored the tortures by the agents or aided it in some way.

The IID has uncovered that Cho was interrogated at the Seoul District Office from 9 p.m. on Oct. 25th to 8 a.m. on Oct. 26th (11 hours in total). Previously, the District Office announced that he was questioned from 1 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 26th (total of 5 and a half hours).

The IID has also discovered that the agents pressed Cho`s forehead with their knees and threw him onto the floor. The agents had alleged that they did not hit Cho on the head.

The IID conducted an intense interrogation on Hong to determine why he entered in the middle of the night the interrogation room after the agents allegedly beat Cho and whether he ordered the agents to torture him all through the night without allowing him any sleep.

The three agents, who were put behind bars on Oct. 30th, covered up their beating and reported to their higher-ups that Cho just hurt himself.

In the arraignment which took place at the courtroom 318 of the Seoul District Court on Oct. 30th, the three agents alleged that Cho ran wild and refused their instructions, banging his head against the wall. They continued, "That is why we used force."

In the meanwhile, Justice Minister Kim Jung-kil ordered Attorney General Lee Myong-jae that anyone involved in this case should be held accountable regardless of their positions within the organization.

Wi-Yong Jung viyonz@donga.com