South Korea: Ex-justice minister, ex-prosecutor general raided over martial law

Seoul, Aug 25 (IANS) Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk's team looking into suspicions surrounding the December 3 martial law declaration opened a compulsory investigation into former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae and former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung with simultaneous raids on the justice ministry and the Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO) on Monday.

Assistant Special Counsel Park Ji-young said in a media briefing that the team was conducting searches and seizures for Park's home, the justice ministry, the SPO, the Seoul Detention Center and other places, noting that the subjects of the multiple raids are Park and Shim.

It is very rare for a former justice minister and a former prosecutor general to be subject to a search and seizure at the same time, Yonhap news agency reported.

Park is accused of failing to prevent former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law imposition and aiding and abetting the illegal move.

Park was one of the six Cabinet members first called by Yoon on December 3 to inform them of his martial law plan. Park is also suspected of instructing his ministry to consider sending a prosecutor to the joint investigation headquarters soon after the martial law was declared.

Shim is said to be under investigation on charges of abuse of power in relation to his failure to appeal a court decision to cancel the arrest of Yoon in March.

--IANS

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