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Amid growing controversies over the indiscriminate inquiry of various people's communication data, it has been confirmed that Deputy Prosecutor Jang Jun-hee, who reported the public interest ban on illegal departure of former Vice Minister Kim Hak-eui, was also targeted. Even though the allegations were not revealed during the inspection, the Public Air Service kept track of the call history of the public interest reporter.
Reporter Ahn Hee-jae reported exclusively.
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Deputy Prosecutor Jang Jun-hee, a public interest
reporter
who first raised suspicions of illegal departure from former Vice Minister Kim Hak-eui.
At the time, Lee Seong-yoon, the head of the Anti-Corruption and Violence Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, provided a decisive clue to the allegation of external pressure on the investigation, thereby gaining the status of a public interest reporter.
However, it was confirmed that the Ministry of Air Transport secured not only the communication data of Prosecutor Jang in August last year, namely mobile phone subscriber information, but also the history of incoming and outgoing calls.
Prosecutor Jang was investigated by the Supreme Prosecutor's Inspection Department by perusing the prosecution's indictment from the prosecution's internal network, but no particular leaks have been revealed so far.
Therefore, the Airborne Service also did not conduct an internal investigation or switch to an investigation against Prosecutor Jang.
However, prosecutors, who are not the subject of the investigation, have been contacted by a court warrant to find out who they have been in contact with.
In response to Prosecutor Jang's request for clarification, an official from the Airlift Service explained that although he was a reference, there were many reports that the Supreme Prosecutor saw Prosecutor Jang as a potential leak suspect, so he secured the data.
Prosecutor Jang is concerned that even if there are no clear charges, following the trawl-net investigation practice could undermine public interest reports.
[Jang Jun-hee / Chief Prosecutor: I think it is an incomprehensible targeted investigation and oppression of public interest reporters.
Who will file a public interest report in the future?
The details of why the warrant was granted so easily...
.] In the
process of confirming the allegations, the Ministry of Air Transport clarified that "it was necessary to check the related records before the storage deadline, so we secured some data."
(Video coverage: Seol Min-hwan, video editing: Hwang Ji-young)