<Anchor>
Former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Baek Un-gyu, who was designated as a key figure in the Moon Jae-in government's 'blacklist' by the Ministry of Industry, was investigated by the prosecution for 14 hours yesterday (9th).
There is growing interest in whether the investigation will expand to the upper level.
Correspondent Kim Soo-young.
<Reporter>
Yesterday morning, the prosecutors, who are investigating the allegation of the 'Ministry of Industry's blacklist', summoned former Minister Baek Woon-gyu.
Former Minister Baek, who was summoned as a suspect, returned home after being investigated for 14 hours until 11:30 last night.
Former Minister Baek is accused of coercing then-Ministry of Industry and Commerce officials to obtain their resignation in 2017 by coercing the heads of public corporations appointed under the previous administration.
Prosecutors also sent investigators to the former Minister's home and Hanyang University office last month to secure e-mail details, etc.
[Baek Un-gyu / Former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy (last month): We were instructed to do that, and we did not move and do that, and that we always handled our work while obeying the laws and regulations…
.]
Previously, the Liberty Korea Party, the predecessor of the People's Power, raised suspicions that the presidents of agencies affiliated with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, who had their tenure remaining in office, resigned after being pressured to resign in 2017.
In March, the prosecution started an investigation by raiding the nuclear power plant-related department of the Ministry of Industry, and last month, the investigation into the suspects of four government officials of the Ministry of Industry was also completed.
According to the results of the investigation by former Minister Baek, there is also talk of the possibility that the investigation will go to the Blue House of the Moon Jae-in government.