[Editor's note] This report was written in English in November 2023 to brief "Korea Watcher" analysts and journalists in the Anglo-American sphere on Yoon Suk-yeok and Han Dong-hoon's tablet manipulation investigation, a treasonous crime committed by South Korean prosecutors. |
Yoon Seok-yeol and Han Dong-hoon's
'Choi Soon-sil's Second Tablet PC' Fabrication Investigation
(Content of fabrication)
1. Fabrication of the tablet PC activation
The owner of a mobile carrier store falsely testified that Choi Seo-won (Choi Soon-sil) visited his store to activate the device.
2. Fabrication of tablet PC acquisition
Obtained false testimony from Jang Si-ho, who testified that she submitted "Choi Soon-sil's Second Tablet PC" to the special prosecutor, which she found in Choi Seo-won's apartment and kept in her possession.
3. Fabricating How the Tablet PC was Submitted to the Prosecutors
The Second Choi Soon-sil Tablet was submitted to the Special Prosecutor's Office, not by Jang Si-ho (who was in custody at the time), but Jang Si-ho's defense attorney. The attorney testified that the tablet was turned off until just before it was submitted to the Special Prosecutor's Office at 2:00 a.m. on January 5, 2017. However, a recent forensic examination of the tablet revealed that it had actually been on for more than 10 hours the night before and into the next day. (The tablet, contrary to Jang Shih-ho's statement, was likely a device seized elsewhere and held by the special prosecutor)
4. Fabrication of the real user of the tablet PC
Claimed all emails found on the "Choi Soon-sil's Second Tablet" as Choi Seo-won’s even though they were all public emails or emails of Choi's secretary. The last four digits of the tablet, 9233, are identical to the last four digits of the cell phone used by Choi Seo-won's secretary.
5. Evidence tampering with the tablet device
(1) The tablet PC was seized on January 5, 2017, and sealed a month later on February 2, 2017. The power was turned on and off 15 times in between.
(2) Entered into recovery mode, possibly wiping user information entirely.
(3) ADB, a professional programming tool that leaves no trace of tampering, was running for more than 20 days.
(4) The L-shaped lock pattern was first set shortly after Jang Shi-ho submitted the tablet to the special prosecutor.
(5) Fingerprints of the actual user were registered, but there were no related system files on the device... they were deleted in such a way that they could not be recovered even by forensics.
(6) On January 25, 2017, around 12:58, a headshot of a prosecution official involved in evidence fabrication was taken on the tablet PC.
6. Fabrication of the initial investigation report on the tablet
The "body paragraph" and "conclusion" are contradictory in the initial investigation report on "Choi Soon-sil's Second Tablet PC". The body paragraph claims that Choi Seo-won's secretary registered an email nickname, but the conclusion concludes that the device belongs to Choi Seo-won based on the email nickname.
* Applicable criminal offenses against Yoon Seok-yeol and Han Dong-hoon: damage to public property, destruction of evidence, falsifying official documents, malfeasance in office and obstruction of the exercise of right, and subornation of perjury. (In the end, we believe this would constitute "treason.")
