A police officer suspected of leaking a sensitive presidential document that has created a major political mayhem in South Korea was found dead in an apparent suicide Saturday, investigators said.
The death of the police officer, identified only by his surname Choi, was a new twist in the prosecution’s investigation into the document, which was drawn up by Park Gwan-cheon, a police lieutenant who had worked for the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae until early February, and was leaked to the media late last month.
According to the document, Jeong Yun-hoe, who served as an adviser for President Park Geun-hye when she was a lawmaker, is alleged to have held regular meetings with several incumbent senior presidential officials to influence state affairs including personnel matters. He has never held any official position in the current administration.
The dead police officer allegedly stole some 100 different kinds of documents including the controversial one from Park’s private luggage together with his colleague surnamed Han and handed the copies over to the media and other sources, according to prosecutors who had questioned them earlier.
“Choi was found dead in his car at around 2:30 p.m. today near his hometown in Icheon,” a police investigator said, citing the city in Gyeonggi Province, some 80 kilometers south of Seoul.
The police investigator said Choi, 45, apparently used carbon monoxide gas from burning briquettes to kill himself, citing the cinders that remained in the vehicle, adding that he also had self-inflicted knife wounds in his left ankle.
In a lengthy suicide note, Choi complained about the situation he was in and said he felt sorry for his family, according to the investigators.
Prosecutors earlier had filed for arrest warrants for Choi and Han, charging them with leaking the presidential document. But the Seoul Central District Court dismissed the request on Friday, citing “no enough reason to put them under detention.”
Since the court’s decision, Choi has been on a leave.
Expressing regrets over the tragic incident, a member of the prosecution team investigating the case said, “no illegal or coercive measures were taken while interrogating him.”
The allegations over Jeong’s behind-the-scenes intervention in state affairs have emerged as a nation-rocking political scandal, putting the Park administration in the hot seat as it enters its third year in power in late February.
Park’s younger brother, Ji-man, was also scheduled to face questioning by prosecutors next week amid speculations that he also has peddled political influence, putting himself on a collision course with Jeong Yun-hoe. (Yonhap)
