▲ 윤석열 정부 용산 대통령실 청사     ©뉴시스

대통령실이 14일 해병대 채모 상병 순직 사건 외압 의혹을 수사하는 고위공직자범죄수사처의 윤석열 대통령 통신 내역 조회 보도에 대해 "만약 누군가 의도적으로 흘렸다면 공무상 비밀 누설죄이자 피의사실 공표에 해당하는 중범죄"라고 밝혔다.

대통령실 관계자는 이날 오후 용산 대통령실에서 취재진과 만나 "지난 1년간 순직 해병대원 사건을 수사하며 사실상 아무런 실체적 진실을 밝혀내지 못한 공수처가 현직 대통령 통신 기록마저 들여다본다"며 이같이 지적했다.

그러면서 "경찰도 임성근 전 해병대 1사단장 직권 남용 혐의가 인정되지 않는다 결론 내렸고 박정훈 대령(해병대 전 수사단장)도 외압은 없었다고 국회 청문회에서 말했다"며 "야당이 주장해온 외압 실체가 현재 전혀 존재않는다는 사실이 나오고 있는 것"이라고 말했다.

또 "공수처는 아직 이종섭 전 국방부 장관에 대한 소환 조사조차 못 하고 있으면서 대통령 통화 내역을 들여다보겠다고 한다"며 "더 큰 문제는 공수처 수사 기밀이 실시간 언론에 어떻게 유출되고 있는가 하는 의문"이라고 밝혔다.

이어 "관련자들은 책임져야 할 것"이라며 "공수처 수사 결과가 일부 언론을 통해 실시간 유출되고 야당 성명이 발표되는 일이 반복되는 점에 의문을 제기하는 시각이 있다"고 말했다.

더불어 "이제 대통령 통화 내역까지 봤다면 무엇이 더 필요한가. 이제 수사 결과를 제대로 내야 한다"며 "수사는 제대로 안 하고 수사 기밀을 유출하는 행태를 국민이 언제까지 더 두고 봐야 하는지 모르겠다"고 덧붙였다.

*아래는 위 기사를 '구글 번역'으로 번역한 영문 기사의 [전문]입니다. '구글번역'은 이해도 높이기를 위해 노력하고 있습니다. 영문 번역에 오류가 있을 수 있음을 전제로 합니다.<*The following is [the full text] of the English article translated by 'Google Translate'. 'Google Translate' is working hard to improve understanding. It is assumed that there may be errors in the English translation.

Office of the President: "If the Public Prosecutor's Office intentionally leaked investigative secrets, it is a serious crime to announce the facts of the case."

"They are even looking into the president's phone records without revealing the truth... Questions are being raised about the opposition party's repeated statements and real-time leaks of investigative secrets to the media."

-kihong Kim reporter

The Office of the President stated on the 14th regarding the report by the High-ranking Officials’ Corruption Investigation Office, which is investigating the suspicion of external pressure in the death of Private First Class Chae Mo of the Marine Corps, that President Yoon Seok-yeol’s communication records were “in case someone intentionally leaked them, it would be a serious crime equivalent to leaking official secrets and announcing the facts of the case.”

An official from the Blue House met with reporters at the Blue House in Yongsan that afternoon and pointed out, "The Public Prosecutor's Office, which has been investigating the case of the Marine Corps soldier who died on duty for the past year without actually uncovering any substantive truth, is even looking into the current president's communication records."

He also said, “The police also concluded that former Marine Corps 1st Division Commander Lim Seong-geun’s abuse of power was not recognized, and Colonel Park Jeong-hoon (former Marine Corps investigation chief) also said at a National Assembly hearing that there was no external pressure,” adding, “The fact that the external pressure that the opposition party has been claiming does not currently exist is being revealed.”

He also said, “The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials has not even summoned former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop for questioning, but is now saying that it will look into the president’s phone records,” and added, “The bigger problem is how the confidential information of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials’ investigation is being leaked to the media in real time.”

He continued, “Those involved should be held accountable,” and “There are some who question the fact that the results of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials’ investigation are being leaked in real time through some media outlets and that statements from the opposition party are being released repeatedly.”

He added, “Now that we have seen the president’s phone records, what else do we need? Now, we need to properly release the results of the investigation,” and “I don’t know how long the public will have to tolerate this behavior of not properly investigating and leaking confidential information.”