'Blacklist' probe stretching into presidential office

Former Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung appears at the Seoul Eastern District Court, Monday, for a hearing that will decide on her arrest on charge of abuse of power. / Yonhap

By Kang Seung-woo

The prosecution is expanding its investigation into the environment ministry's alleged “blacklist” to the presidential office as it is considering questioning a presidential secretary in charge of personnel affairs.

Since the main opposition Liberty Korea Party raised the allegation last December, prosecutors have confirmed some cases pertaining to a political purge. The ministry allegedly compelled 24 senior officials at its eight affiliated organizations appointed by the previous administration to step down so the posts could be filled with people loyal to the current government.

On Monday, the Seoul Eastern District Court held a hearing to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant for former Minister Kim Eun-kyung on charges of abuse of power after banning her from traveling abroad in February. Kim led the ministry from July 2017 to November 2018.

According to the prosecution, the environment ministry investigated some of the officials who were refusing to step down to uncover individual wrongdoings or business-related mistakes. Following such pressure, a standing auditor at the Korea Environment Corp. (KEC), surnamed Kim, quit in March last year.

Now, believing it is improbable that the ministry did not create the blacklist by itself, the prosecution has been looking into whether Cheong Wa Dae pulled the strings from behind the scenes.

Prosecutors have already questioned two junior officials from the Office of Balanced Personnel Affairs, which is in charge of personnel management for non-economic departments. Now their probe is targeting Balanced Personnel Affairs Secretary Shin Mi-sook.

“We are coordinating the schedule for questioning of secretary Shin,” a senior prosecutor said in a media interview, Monday.

The prosecution suspects that Shin's office and the environment ministry were involved in drawing up the alleged blacklist and hiring pro-government figures since the inauguration of the Moon Jae-in government in 2017.

It is alleged that Shin strongly complained to then-vice environment minister after a figure favored by the presidential office was dropped from the screening process in the selection of a KEC standing auditor ― a post which became vacant following the former auditor's resignation ― last July.

In addition, former Minister Kim said in the early stages of her inauguration that she had no personnel authority over the ministry's affiliates, raising speculation that Cheong Wa Dae may have interfered with the selection of officials at them. This suspicion may make it inevitable for the prosecution to call in Senior Personnel Affairs Secretary Cho Hyun-ock ― although the prosecution said nothing has been decided yet regarding him.

If the allegation is proven to be true, it could deal a serious blow to President Moon, who vehemently criticized the former Park Geun-hye administration's drawing up of a blacklist of artists critical of the government.

Regarding the allegation, Cheong Wa Dae has said the ministry's list was a “legitimate act of supervision” of the affiliated organizations.