A day after the Board of Audit and Inspection announced its investigation findings regarding alleged coercive practices and illegal forensic examinations of mobile phones during the audit into the “statistics manipulation suspicions under the Moon Jae-in administration,” auditors targeted for disciplinary action refuted the claims on the 28th, arguing that the announced details contradicted the actual circumstances and releasing partial recordings. These auditors emphasized that no allegations of “coercive investigation” had surfaced for nearly two years after the interim audit results were announced in September 2023, and they protested that the task force (TF) accepted claims from some auditees that had changed only after the current administration took office.
The Board of Audit and Inspection’s TF, which investigated the statistics manipulation audit team, stated on the 27th that auditors B and C had pressured a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official, A, to consent to mobile phone forensics by saying, “You must cooperate to avoid personal issues,” and announced plans to dismiss them. The TF added, “When A refused consent, auditor C pressured him by saying, ‘It would be better for you to agree,’ and suggested, ‘There’s an empty room next door—go think about it there.’ As a result, A reluctantly expressed willingness to consent.”
Auditor C publicly released a recording of the conversation with official A during the investigation. The released recording contained no mention of “personal issues.” In the recording, auditor C told A, “Since it’s your choice, please consent to the forensics voluntarily.” He continued, “If you cooperate, it will be good for both you and us, so we’re making a suggestion. Please decide whether to consent or not…” Then, addressing another auditor, he said, “Could you guide A to the adjacent room?” Auditor B added, “Before submitting the phone, A requested time to review, but since we don’t have forensic equipment today and it’s getting complicated, we asked A to decide within the day…”
In April, the Board of Audit and Inspection requested institutions previously audited for statistics manipulation suspicions to compile cases of coercive investigations. Among these, only the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport—which faced allegations of pressuring the Korea Real Estate Board to manipulate statistics—submitted opinions claiming coercive investigations. Meanwhile, mobile phone investigations of public officials were frequently conducted under past administrations. The Moon Jae-in administration’s Cheong Wa Dae conducted multiple forensic examinations of Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials’ phones to identify sources of media reports on diplomatic issues. Employees of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Presidential Security Service were also subject to “security investigations.”
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