President Replaces Roh-Appointed Bodyguards
By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak's administration is replacing many holdover appointees in the Security Service department as part of its staff reshuffle. The move, which began last month, is part of the administration's effort to remove the ``Roh Moo-hyun clique'' from Cheong Wa Dae, according to local reports Friday.
An official from the presidential office said that the Lee administration has been replacing a significant number of senior managers and deputy managers in the Presidential Security Service (PSS). ``It has been observed that it may be inappropriate to keep appointees who worked with the previous administration,'' he said.
The official also reportedly remarked that key Roh appointees have been monopolizing administrative control of the PSS. ``There were also concerns that confidential information could be leaked to the outside.''
The current administration and former President Roh have been maintaining an uneasy relationship, one that has been getting worse because of an allegation involving the illicit removal of documents and computer files from Cheong Wa Dae.
For weeks, the government and Roh have been bitterly feuding over the classified data copies that the former President and his aides took from the presidential office's computer servers when they were leaving Cheong Wa Dae in February.
Roh expressed his bitter disappointment with President Lee's conduct over this issue, calling the allegation against him ``pure science fiction.''
The Lee administration has alleged that Roh and his advisors committed illegal acts by taking copies of top-level classified administrative records. The current government has said it may seek the prosecution of several former aides from the previous administration for making the copies.
The former President had been resisting the current government's demand to return the material but finally caved in this past week. On Wednesday, he announced that he would return all copies of the administrative documents he took from the presidential office.
The matter is not yet resolved, however. The two sides are at odds over an online administrative management system server that Roh's staff reportedly took from the presidential office. Roh's staff said they would like to hold on to the computer equipment.
A former lawyer known for his outspoken and candid remarks while in the presidential office, Roh sent an open letter to President Lee on Wednesday blasting the current administration for making baseless allegations.
He said there were no classified copies in his possession and maintained that he and his aides committed no illegal acts.
Roh also recalled how President Lee had earlier assured him that the new administration would ``treat former Presidents with respect and dignity.''
``I still remember those assuring words vividly. So I can't quite believe the situation I am in now,'' Roh said in the letter.
The former President continued: ``Am I supposed to travel hundreds of kilometers to the National Archives every time I want to reference my own administration's records? Do you, Mr. President, think that's the proper way in this age of information?''
``Mr. President: you told me that you would take it onto yourself to start a new political culture, one that shows due respect to former Presidents. You said this yourself during one of our phone conversations,'' Roh said in his letter.