Death of official under investigation demands thorough inquiry

 

Conservative groups set up a memorial altar on October 12 for a Yangpyeong County official identified as A, who was found dead after being questioned in connection with alleged development favors involving former First Lady Kim Keon Hee’s family in the Gongheung District of Yangpyeong. The groups held a rally in front of the Kim Keon Hee special counsel’s office at the KT West Building in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul. The photo shows participants paying their respects at the memorial altar. [YONHAP]

 
Controversy is growing after the disclosure of a handwritten note left by a 57-year-old Yangpyeong County official identified as “A,” who died shortly after being questioned by the Kim Keon Hee special counsel team over alleged development favors in the Gongheung District of Yangpyeong.
 
A appeared before the special counsel on Oct. 2 as a suspect and was interrogated for more than 12 hours. He returned home around 1 a.m. the next day and wrote a note describing his feelings. A week later, on Oct. 10, he was found dead at home.
 
In a memo released by People Power Party (PPP) Chair Jang Dong-hyeok, A wrote, “The investigator spoke in a dismissive tone and pressured me into making statements about things I do not remember. Though I did nothing wrong, they kept coercing me and told me to identify others. I felt humiliated and wanted to end my life.”
 
The special counsel denied the accusation, saying, “The investigation was not coercive or intimidating. The police officer accompanied A home to ensure his safety, and CCTV footage confirms there was no sign of forced questioning.”
 
At this stage, it is impossible to determine whose account is correct. However, A, a level-five local official, explicitly named two individuals — a team leader and an investigator — in his note, claiming he was subjected to coercive questioning. If this is true, the special counsel would have fabricated statements that did not come from A himself, which would be a serious issue. A thorough investigation is needed to determine whether there was coercion or manipulation during questioning, and whether A's statement was falsified.
 
The PPP stated, “An ordinary public servant took his own life because of the brutal investigation by Special Counsel Min Jung-gi,” vowing to pursue the issue during the parliamentary audit. The Democratic Party countered that “the ruling party is exploiting this official’s tragic death to disrupt the investigation and evade its own wrongdoing.” For now, given that the deceased was a long-serving local official, the priority must be to uncover the truth rather than escalate political conflict.
 

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The Kim Keon Hee probe, along with two other ongoing special investigations, must fulfill their duty to expose corruption by the former president and first lady. But as they expand their reach, criticism of excessive or coercive investigations is growing. The Marine death probe involving pastors Kim Jang-hwan and Lee Young-hoon, and the failed detention warrant for former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, are notable examples. Now, A’s death adds another tragedy.
 
The special counsel must ensure procedural fairness and prevent any suspicion of excessive or abusive investigation. The Moon Jae-in administration’s “eradication of deep-rooted evils” campaign ended with five suicides, including prosecutor Byun Chang-hoon and former Defense Security Command chief Lee Jae-soo, damaging both legitimacy and momentum. That dark precedent must not be repeated.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.