[Anchor]

In today’s (7.9) hearing, the special counsel team investigating the insurrection case appears to have placed strong emphasis on the possibility that former President Yoon Suk Yeol may destroy evidence—highlighting recent shifts in witness testimonies from key figures.

Many expect the court’s decision on Yoon’s detention to hinge on this point.

Reporter Gong Min-kyung has more.

[Report]

Out of the 66-page detention warrant request submitted by the special counsel, 16 pages are dedicated to justifying the need for former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s detention.

The core focus: risk of evidence destruction.

The special counsel is paying close attention to recent changes in the testimonies of Kim Sung-hoon, former Deputy Chief of Presidential Security Service, and Kang Eui-gu, former secretary at the presidential office.

They pointed out that these individuals gave different statements depending on whether Yoon’s defense attorneys were present during questioning, suggesting that Yoon’s legal team may have influenced or pressured the witnesses.

The special counsel argues that if Yoon remains free, he could pressure key individuals to give favorable testimony, leading to the destruction of evidence.

They also emphasize that some of the charges listed in the warrant—such as the post-facto drafting of the martial law declaration and the deletion of encrypted phone data—are in themselves acts of evidence destruction.

However, as Yoon’s legal team has denied all allegations, including the accusation of witness tampering, the court's key decision point will be how convincingly the special counsel can prove the risk of evidence destruction during the detention hearing.

The recent leak of the detention warrant request has also been cited as a reason for Yoon’s detention.

The special counsel confirmed that the leak was traced to a member of Yoon’s defense team, and stressed that the disclosure of witness statements could have a chilling effect on those involved, hindering the investigation and constituting obstruction of justice.

This is Gong Min-kyung, KBS News.

▣ KBS 기사 원문보기 : http://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=8300168

▣ 제보 하기
◇ 카카오톡 : 'KBS제보' 검색
◇ 전화 : 02-781-1234
◇ 홈페이지 : https://goo.gl/4bWbkG
◇ 이메일 : kbs1234@kbs.co.kr

Copyright ⓒ KBS. All rights reserved. 무단 전재, 재배포 및 이용(AI 학습 포함) 금지

• 페이스북 공유
• 트위터 공유
• 

•