hankyoreh

As expected, the prosecutors’ investigation into allegations of a “secret circle” interfering in state affairs is apparently entering its final stages with the prosecutors concluding that neither Chung Yoon-hoi nor the so-called “triumvirate” of secretaries was involved in any meddling. But this case has been about far more than the “Chung report” for a good while now. That document may be what touched things off in the first place, but all the accounts that have emerged since then have sent the accusations spinning off in every direction.

The best example by the allegations of interference in job appointments at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Former Minister Yoo Jin-rong claimed that President Park Geun-hye personally singled out bureau and department directors for reshuffling, claiming she had “heard they were bad people.” It’s the kind of thing that reeks of behind-the-scenes interference. The Blue House has tried to explain it off as “holding staff accountable for the lack of progress in eliminating corruption in sports,” but the circumstances suggest there was a lot more to it than that. It seems much more rational to believe that the reason the minister had his appointing arm twisted had more to do with someone “squealing” to the president.

The allegations of involvement by Chung’s wife Choi Sun-sil (who has since changed her name to Choi Seo-won) shouldn’t be taken lightly either. The closeness of Choi’s relationship to Park has some suggesting she, rather than her husband, could be the one behind the MCST meddling. Indeed, while Chung has denied being involved himself (he was Park’s Chief of Staff when she was a second-term lawmaker), he was less adamant about the possibility that his wife was. “That I don‘t know,” he was reported as saying when asked about it. There’s also talk about frequent Blue House visits by Choi - and about a Presidential Security Service staffer being replaced when he raised questions about them.

We also need to get to the bottom of claims that Ahn Bong-geun, personal secretary number two at the Blue House (and member of the triumvirate), interfered in police appointments. Former Blue House public service discipline secretary Cho Eung-cheon reported hearing rumors that ten police officers with the office of the senior civil affairs secretary were given the boot, and that their replacements, who were all given the same number, all came from the second personal secretary‘s office. These allegations are nothing to skate over.

But the prosecutors don’t seem very interested in investigating them. Such is the nature of the prosecutorial system that the chances of their departing from Park‘s “guidelines” and committing themselves to a full investigation are almost nil. It’s even less likely when you consider their rigid definition of their obligation as “investigating potential criminal cases.”

That means it falls on politicians to do the investigating. We need a parliamentary investigation, where every available means is used to get to the truth. The ruling Saenuri Party seems to think it can ignore these allegations - things that are burned into the public‘s brain by this point - and “get back to business.” It needs to get real.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]