General’s arrest sought in surveillance investigation

Military prosecutors investigating a unit for alleged surveillance of civilians are seeking the arrest of a two-star general.

In a warrant application on Tuesday, the investigative team said it believed Maj. Gen. So Gang-won, who served as chief of staff of the now defunct Defense Security Command, was actively involved in surveilling the families of people who died in the Sewol ferry sinking in 2014.

They cited flight risk and the possibility of So destroying evidence as grounds for a warrant.

Military prosecutors said the Defense Security Command conducted “systematic, across-the-board” surveillance of Sewol victims’ families at a time when the government was receiving intense criticism for its botched handling of the disaster.

Yonhap