hankyoreh

Police are investigating allegations that some government officials and journalists bought sex at a massage parlor.

On May 7, the special investigation unit of the National Police Agency said it has acted on tip-offs and intelligence to probe into whether two or three officials at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry along with two or three journalists covering the office bought sex at a massage parlor on January 31 after a dinner together.

Choi Seung-ryeol, head of the special investigation unit, said, "We are aware that several agriculture ministry officials and journalists paid about 900,000 won (US$969) with a credit card to a massage parlor near Indeokwon, Anyang, Gyeonggi Province. Still, the use of a credit card isn't enough to prove the allegation of a purchase of sex. We are investigating to secure specific evidence," Choi said, without revealing whether it was a government official or journalist whose credit card was used.

On January 31, the agriculture ministry's public relations team held a meeting and invited about 20 ministry correspondents. The dinner was held at a Japanese restaurant in a hotel in the wake of the replacement of the public relations team's chief. Also attending were public relations officials from six ministry-affiliated companies, including the National Agricultural Cooperative Foundation (Nonghyup), Korea Rural Community and Agriculture Corp., and Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corp. After dining, they went to an underground karaoke bar at the hotel, then moving to a pub, and then the massage parlor in question.

Police have already questioned officials at the agriculture ministry and an owner of the massage parlor. Investigators plan to question some of the journalists named in the allegations.

After the case made the news, a fresh wave of criticism surfaced, aimed at exposing illegal and inappropriate acts committed between government officials and journalists. The National Alliance to Resolve Sex-Purchase Problems, a civic group, said in a statement, "This case shows the typically cozy relations between government officials and journalists. Police should thoroughly investigate the case and punish the related individuals."

Another controversy surfaced when an official at the special investigation unit said on May 8, "We began the investigation after receiving tip-offs from Cheong Wa Dae [the presidential office]." The question remains why a presidential official or officials would give the tip-offs to police four months after the alleged incident occurred. Some critics raised the possibility that the presidential office may be trying to exploit the case as a means of hurting the image of journalists, as President Roh Moo-hyun is at odd with mainstream media organizations over his recently-proposed media reforms, including a planned closure of most press rooms at government offices.

An official at the Government Information Agency tried to dispel such rumors, saying "It is believed the presidential office referred the case to the special investigation unit of the National Police Agency after reviewing how to handle the situation."

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