By Kim Tae-gyu
Korea Communications Commission (KCC) Chairman Choi See-joong resigned Friday amid an investigation into the bribery and influence-peddling allegations involving his close aide.
“From the onset of this year, suspicions were reported in the media that my subordinate was involved in a bribery scandal,” Choi said in an unscheduled press conference.
“The KCC should not suffer unfair attacks or policies because of me.”
As President Lee Myung-bak’s confidant, Choi was one of the longest-serving Cabinet members of the administration. The 74-year-old originally refused to quit but changed his mind due to the investigation into his assistant, surnamed Jeong.
The 48-year-old Jeong, sometimes called “an adoptive son” of Choi, allegedly received a substantial amount of kickbacks from lobbyists while working for the KCC as an advisor in the late 2000s.
Suspicions have erupted on whether Jeong pocketed the money without reporting it to Choi because the lobbyists are believed to want Jeong to gain the influence of Choi.
However, it is expected to take a while before prosecutors complete their probe into the case because Jeong is abroad — he left for Thailand last October with his wife after the prosecution started looking into the matter.
No matter how the investigation evolves, the journalist-turned-politician, who once was in charge of Gallup Korea, is projected to suffer great damage to his reputation.
The incumbent administration is also expected to face some fallout as Choi is widely regarded as the right-hand man of President Lee Myung-bak.
This would be more bad news for President Lee because his administration and the ruling Grand National Party have experienced many setbacks of late resulting in a loss of support among the people.