Cheong Wa Dae's explanation lacks credibility
Cheong Wa Dae has been embroiled in allegations that it compiled a blacklist of the heads of agencies affiliated with the Ministry of Environment.
The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office issued a travel ban on former Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung, Tuesday, after acquiring documents supporting allegations that she attempted to remove the chiefs of state agencies appointed during the previous Park Geun-hye administration.
The blacklist allegation first emerged late last year when Kim Tae-woo, a former member of Cheong Wa Dae's special investigation bureau, brought it to media attention. Cheong Wa Dae has been mostly silent about it, but spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom issued a statement Wednesday to refute the widening suspicions that the presidential office pressured the ministry to create the blacklist of figures appointed during the previous administration.
Kim strongly resisted the use of the term blacklist, which has a very negative connotation as it is associated with the previous Park administration in the minds of many Koreans. Some of the former president's close aides were convicted of blacklisting anti-government figures in the cultural sector.
The presidential spokesman explained this was different from the blacklist compiled during the Park government, which was drawn up with the aim of discriminating against people in the film, literature, media and performing arts sectors who opposed the government. Kim stressed that the Ministry of Environment was simply doing its job of inspecting the heads and senior staff at state agencies.
Rep. Hong Yong-pyo, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), also underlined that the ministry did nothing illegal, describing the document as a legal "checklist" for assessing the chiefs of the state agencies who are appointed by the president. But the explanations by Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling party are not convincing.
Now more people are asking with a heavy heart how the ministry's document is different from the blacklist of Park's Cheong Wa Dae, which was considered one of the most shameful aspects of her failed presidency which ended in impeachment.
The blacklist scandal has tarnished Cheong Wa Dae's image after a series of incidents involving close aides to President Moon. South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo received a prison term recently for his role in an online opinion manipulation case that happened before the May 2017 snap presidential election following Park's impeachment. Rep. Sohn Hye-won, who played a key role in Moon's election campaign, has been hit for allegations of using insider information for speculative investment in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province.
To regain public trust, it is imperative for the presidential office to clear all suspicions that it exerted undue influence in personnel affairs at state agencies affiliated with the ministries.
The prosecution should conduct a thorough investigation to determine the purpose of the list and whether there were any illegalities.
Cheong Wa Dae has been embroiled in allegations that it compiled a blacklist of the heads of agencies affiliated with the Ministry of Environment.
The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office issued a travel ban on former Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung, Tuesday, after acquiring documents supporting allegations that she attempted to remove the chiefs of state agencies appointed during the previous Park Geun-hye administration.
The blacklist allegation first emerged late last year when Kim Tae-woo, a former member of Cheong Wa Dae's special investigation bureau, brought it to media attention. Cheong Wa Dae has been mostly silent about it, but spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom issued a statement Wednesday to refute the widening suspicions that the presidential office pressured the ministry to create the blacklist of figures appointed during the previous administration.
Kim strongly resisted the use of the term blacklist, which has a very negative connotation as it is associated with the previous Park administration in the minds of many Koreans. Some of the former president's close aides were convicted of blacklisting anti-government figures in the cultural sector.
The presidential spokesman explained this was different from the blacklist compiled during the Park government, which was drawn up with the aim of discriminating against people in the film, literature, media and performing arts sectors who opposed the government. Kim stressed that the Ministry of Environment was simply doing its job of inspecting the heads and senior staff at state agencies.
Rep. Hong Yong-pyo, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), also underlined that the ministry did nothing illegal, describing the document as a legal "checklist" for assessing the chiefs of the state agencies who are appointed by the president. But the explanations by Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling party are not convincing.
Now more people are asking with a heavy heart how the ministry's document is different from the blacklist of Park's Cheong Wa Dae, which was considered one of the most shameful aspects of her failed presidency which ended in impeachment.
The blacklist scandal has tarnished Cheong Wa Dae's image after a series of incidents involving close aides to President Moon. South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo received a prison term recently for his role in an online opinion manipulation case that happened before the May 2017 snap presidential election following Park's impeachment. Rep. Sohn Hye-won, who played a key role in Moon's election campaign, has been hit for allegations of using insider information for speculative investment in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province.
To regain public trust, it is imperative for the presidential office to clear all suspicions that it exerted undue influence in personnel affairs at state agencies affiliated with the ministries.
The prosecution should conduct a thorough investigation to determine the purpose of the list and whether there were any illegalities.
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