Ex-top presidential aide gets 30 months in prison

By Lee Kyung-min

Former presidential secretary for civil affairs Woo Byung-woo has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years imprisonment in a corruption trial stemming from the influence-peddling scandal that removed former President Park Geun-hye from office. Woo, a close aide to Park known for his “unrestricted” power and authority, was indicted for overlooking or aiding and abetting a wide range of criminal activities conducted by Choi Soon-sil, the convicted confidant of former President Park. The prosecution had filed nine charges including abuse of power and dereliction of duty as head of the presidential office responsible for monitoring the corruption of high-ranking public officials.

Seoul Central District Court said Woo deserved punishment for failing to prevent influence-peddling despite volumes of evidence that suggested Choi’s illicit activities. “Woo was briefed about a range of Choi’s criminally liable behavior multiple times from his subordinates,” a judge said in the ruling. “He must have been aware of or at least suspected the corruption, but he wrote memos to Park with a tone dismissing the far-reaching implications it might have, leading the former President to fail to grasp the gravity of the situation at the time. “His decision further threw the country into confusion. His failure to implement follow-up measures to control Choi greatly contributed to her then-ongoing corruption activities.”

Woo, the court added, also ordered Fair Trade Commission (FTC) officials to file a complaint requesting the prosecution to investigate CJ E&M, which produced liberal media content critical of the Park administration and favorable to former President Roh Moo-hyun. “Woo abused his power by ordering FTC officials to file a complaint against the firm despite the lack of grounds to do so as the charge he sought to press failed to meet the due requirements under the law,” the judge said. “His unprecedented interference in FTC affairs severely undermined the principle of fairness and independence.”

Woo interfered with and frustrated various efforts by Lee Seok-su, a Park-appointed inspector tasked with investigating him, the court said. Park dismissed Lee after he recommended the prosecution investigate Woo over alleged abuse of power and embezzlement. While the “declared” reason for his dismissal was for leaking details of the then-ongoing investigation into Woo to a broadcast journalist, speculation abounded that the prosecutor-turned-civil affairs secretary had such deep connections about key government agencies that he could never be held criminally accountable. “Woo continued to maintain an uncooperative stance and led various activities with the intent of halting the investigation, following which Lee was rendered helpless and powerless,” the judge said.

With Woo’s conviction, the only major figure in the corruption scandal yet to be punished is Park. No verdict has been delivered in her trial. Choi, who faced most of the same charges as Park, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last week. Former presidential secretary An Chong-bum was given a six-year prison term.

Meanwhile, Woo is standing trial on a separate allegation over suspected involvement in the alleged spy agency-sanctioned illegal surveillance of various people, including Lee and high-ranking culture ministry officials among others.

Prosecutors suspect Woo ordered the surveillance, bypassing the necessary chain of command at the National Intelligence Service (NIS). Two former NIS officials earlier stated they regularly briefed Woo about their activities regarding Lee and that they answered only to Woo.

The prosecution believes that such activities against Lee were sanctioned to avoid checks on the corruption of high-ranking public officials, the responsibility of the civil affairs office, but also had more to do with “finding dirt” on him and using it to interfere with his investigation, which was about to uncover substantial evidence implicating Woo.

Out of 10 secretarial divisions under Cheong Wa Dae, the civil affairs division is the most powerful _ practically third in command after the president and presidential chief of staff _ as it oversees the prosecution, police, the NIS, the Board of Audit and Inspection and the National Tax Service. It is in charge of gathering information about public sentiment on socially critical issues, providing the presidential office with legal strategies and vetting individuals before appointing them to high ranking posts. The height of irony is that the division monitors and disciplines public officials engaged in corruption.

Woo, who began working at the division in May 2014 and was promoted to secretary in February 2015, remained there for 20 months until he resigned last October after the emergence of the corruption scandal. Woo is known to have received outstanding evaluations from Park, especially for effectively controlling the prosecution _ and by extension the police _ using his connections as a former prosecutor.