[단독]檢, Former Minister Paik Woon-gyu requests a warrant… Wolseong nuclear power plant evaluation and manipulation charges

Former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy. yunhap news

It has been confirmed that the 5th Detective Division of Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office (Director Sang-Hyeon Lee), who is investigating the case of fabricating the economic feasibility of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1, has requested a warrant for arrest against former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Baek Woon-gyu to the court on the 4th.

The Daejeon District Prosecutor’s Office announced on the day that “in relation to the Wolseong nuclear power plant incident, a warrant for arrest was requested against the former Minister of Industry,” Baek, for obstruction of the exercise of ex officio abuse rights and business obstruction.

Prosecutors believe that Baek was involved in the process of evaluating the economic feasibility of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power at the time in order to close Wolsong Unit 1 early, and also intervening in the deletion of related data by public officials of the Ministry of Industry in order to hinder the audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection. In particular, the prosecution has determined that the arrest of Baek Jeon is inevitable while two public officials who were involved in the deletion of the data were detained, and it is said that a considerable part of the circumstances of intervention in the process of evaluating economic feasibility were confirmed. On the 25th of last month, the prosecution called former Minister Baek as a suspect and investigated it. It is said that Baek has denied most of the allegations.

Previously, according to the audit report by the Audit and Inspection Service, in April 2018, the head of the Ministry of Industry in charge of nuclear power policy (currently the director) told Secretary Baek to operate Wolseong Unit 1 until the nuclear safety committee’s permanent suspension of operation and change permission (continues for about two and a half years). Plan to operate) reported. However, it was revealed that Baek rebuked General Manager Chung and ordered “reconsideration with immediate shutdown”.

After that, in order to implement the Minister’s instructions, in May 2018, at an interview with the accounting firm responsible for the economic feasibility of Wolseong Unit 1, he presented his opinion in the direction of lowering input variables such as sales unit price and utilization rate. Jeong also reported this to the Office of the Blue House Industrial Policy Secretary.

Baek is also under suspicion that three officials from the Ministry of Industry were involved in the process of deleting 530 nuclear-related data. In December of last year, the prosecution prosecuted two officials of the Ministry of Industry, who were arrested for deleting documents related to the shutdown of Wolseong nuclear power plant unit 1 (damage to public electronic records, violation of the Audit and Inspection Service Act, and intrusion of room), and Chief Jung, who had been imprisoned.

During the audit process of the Audit and Inspection Service, “KHNP’s position was to shut down the operation immediately after the early closure because it was strange that if the KHNP board decided to close it in consideration of economic feasibility and regional acceptance, etc.” “There is no fact of instructing you to check or confirm what it is.”

While the nuclear power plant-related investigation is heading to the upper line of the Blue House, including former industrial policy secretary Chae Hee-bong (currently, the president of the Gas Corporation), voices from inside the prosecutors say that the Daejeon District Prosecutor’s Office and the investigation team should be maintained for the continuity of the investigation.

Reporters Kang Kwang-woo, Jung Yu-jin, and Ha Jun-ho [email protected]