Military Prosecutors Execute Search and Seizure of Army Headquarters

Regarding an anonymous note, which revealed that there was an irregularity in the personnel of army generals, a prosecutor team of the Ministry of Defense executed a search and seizure on army headquarters. The military prosecutor’s execution of a search and seizure upon the army’s headquarters is the very first since the military has been created.

According to the Ministry of Defense, on November 23, after military prosecutors issued a seizure and search warrant from a court martial on November 22, the day that the anonymous note was found, they rushed an investigation team to Gyeryongdae, Chungnam and searched the personnel section of the army headquarters that afternoon.

The military prosecutors are investigating documents related with promotion screening that they retained in detail since the morning of November 23, and in case some of the details of the anonymous note turn out to be true, the authorities from the army headquarters who were in charge of promotion screening will be summoned for an investigation.

An authority from the Ministry of Defense said, “Even if the details of the anonymous note turn out to be true, there is no possibility that the promotion of generals will be cancelled.” and added, “However, disciplinary punishment of the generals in charge of personnel will be inevitable.”

On the other hand, it was confirmed that Cheong Wa Dae had a suspicion of irregularity in army personnel before the anonymous note was found in the parking lot of the military apartments near the Ministry of Defense located in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on November 22. It has been known that military investigators had already been conducting a secret examination of army headquarters, according to Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung’s order, since November 18.

In some parts of the military, aside from the truth or falsehood of the matter, the worst case possibility of censure and voluntary retirement for Army Chief of Staff General Nam Jae-joon is being proposed, considering the situation that a search and seizure was even conducted on army headquarters.

Ho-Won Choi bestiger@donga.com