Prosecutors request arrest warrants for two former police chiefs on election law violation charges

SEOUL, May 10 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors said they requested arrest warrants for two former police chiefs on Friday on charges of illegally intervening in politics in 2016.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said it filed for court warrants for pretrial detention of Kang Shin-myung and Lee Cheol-seong, who served as commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) during the administration of President Park Geun-hye, over allegations that they campaigned for pro-Park candidates prior to the general elections in April 2016.

The prosecutors office said they also requested arrest warrants for two former heads of the KNPA's Intelligence Bureau -- Park Hwa-jin, who currently heads the agency's Foreign Affairs Investigation Division, and Kim Sang-un -- on the same charges.

The four are accused of helping pro-Park politicians ahead of the then ruling party's nomination of parliamentary election candidates by utilizing the police intelligence disadvantageous to their party rivals. They are also suspected of intensively spying on anti-Park politicians at that time.

The Public Official Election Act bans the participation of civil servants in the planning and implementation of election campaigns.

Kang served KNPA commissioner general from August 2014 to August 2016, while Lee held the post from 2016 to 2018.

In addition, Kang, Lee and Kim are accused of illegally collecting intelligence on liberal figures critical of the Park administration while serving as the KNPA's Intelligence Bureau chief between 2012 and 2016, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors raided the KNPA's Intelligence Bureau three times between last November and last month.

The latest moves by prosecutors came amid an escalating conflict between the prosecution and the police over investigative rights reform.

Prosecutor-General Moon Moo-il has publicly criticized the recent parliamentary approval of the fast-tracking of reform bills on rearranging investigative rights between the prosecution and the police, and establishing a new investigative agency to deal with corruption by high-ranking government officials.

Under the reform bills, the police would be empowered to initiate and close cases without approval from the prosecution, while the new government official investigative agency will have its own indictment power.

ycm@yna.co.kr
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