hankyoreh

Critical comments toward prosecutors have gone a raft following former President Roh Moo-hyun’s suicide. Numerous citizens have posted comments on the online bulletin board of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office’s to censure prosecutors for their part in the former president’s suicide. The website has been nearly paralyzed by the rush of citizens who want to post and read comments. This phenomenon has clearly shown us the fact that the prosecutor has lost the public’s trust.

Investigative procedures for allegations of bribery and illegal government lobbying of both the current and former president should have been followed. If fault is confirmed, then the individual should be punished accordingly. That is democracy and constitutionalism. In this regard, we have no intention to take issue with the fact that prosecutors investigated former President Roh on allegations related to receiving bribes from Taekwang Industrial Chairman Park Yeon-cha.

However, prosecutors have committed some grave errors. First, prosecutors had made ‘afflicting Roh Moo-hyun’ the main focus of their investigation. At least, many people hold that impression and refer to fact that prosecutors had not decided whether to indict him after nearly a month had passed since Roh went in for questioning. Customarily, prosecutors decide quickly whether or not to indict, and a quick decision would have resulted in honorable treatment towards the president.

Instead, prosecutors intensified investigations of Roh’s wife, son and daughter, while putting off the decision of indictment. Furthermore, during the course of the investigation, the contents were leaked nearly everyday. Roh demonstrated both contempt for these leaks, and also desperation that “Many people have suffered due to me.”

Second, prosecutors had demonstrated a political bias. Prosecutors had conducted thorough searches of relatives and close aides of Roh. In contrast, they have shown generous attitudes toward persons who are related to current government officials and prosecutors. Prosecutors have excluded Lee Sang-deuk, the ruling Grand National Party lawmaker and elder brother of current president, from the investigation, despite the fact has been confirmed that former Presidential Secretary Chu Bu-gil called him after receiving money from Park Yeon-cha. Furthermore, an alleged connection between Park Yeon-cha and Chen Shin-il, the president of Korea University’s alumni association and close friend of President Lee, had surfaced some time ago, but prosecutors have put off the investigation of Chen, and belatedly may use him as a scapegoat in order to balance the investigation.

In regards allegations that there are prosecutors who took some bribes from Park, the prosecutors have indulged them, and said, “It is difficult to punish them because although they received money from Park, there were no relationships between the money and the prosecutors’ responsibilities.” The Prosecutor General Lim Cha-jin and other senior prosecutors who are responsible for this investigation should address the criticism regarding the political and biased nature of the investigation of the former president.

It is said that this investigation began as a special tax investigation of Taekwang Co. and the results were reported to the Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House) in July of last year. Within this time frame, prosecutors began investigating Roh in earnest in March. When all events are taken together, it is clear that the intention of the Cheong Wa Dae core members are reflected in this investigation. While the prosecutors need to address the problematic nature of their investigation, what is more important is the Cheong Wa Dae changes its mind about using prosecutors as perpetrators.

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