Police may summon prosecutors over photo leak

Police might summon incumbent prosecutors on suspicion that they leaked a photo of a woman who allegedly had sex with one of their fellow prosecutors in a high-profile sex scandal, sources at Seoul police said Friday.

Seocho Police Station is currently analyzing files handed over by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s internal inspection team.

“The inspection team has reported to the police four officials who created the image file and their two accomplices,” said a lead prosecutor of the prosecution’s inspection team. Of the six, two are incumbent prosecutors, he said.

One prosecutor allegedly made a computer file with a photo of the woman from the investigation database, and another prosecutor is suspected of ordering its creation.

“It is not confirmed that all their activities are illegal,” he said.

The inspection team has investigated the total of 24 prosecutors and prosecution officials who have checked the photo of the woman.

The police said they would decide whom to summon among the six people after further investigation.

If the prosecutors are called in, it will be the first case in which incumbent prosecutors have been questioned by the police.

Any evidence that the photo has been intentionally leaked outside the prosecution has not been found, according to the police.

A trainee prosecutor had sexual relations with his female suspect in November allegedly in return for favor in a case in which the woman stole goods worth 4.5 million won ($4,200) at a mart.

The photo of the 42-year-old woman spread through the Internet, and she asked police to investigate those who had leaked and circulated the photo.

(wone0102@heraldcorp.com)