Roh’s Former Secretaries Face Prosecution
By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
The Korean National Archives (KNA) announced Thursday that it is filing legal complaints against 10 former Cheong Wa Dae staff members for allegedly removing classified information and possibly compromising national security.
The issue involves online document copies that former President Roh Moo-hyun and his staff took with them from the presidential office computer servers when they vacated Cheong Wa Dae at the end of Roh's term earlier this year.
Former Roh staffers angrily denounced the legal action. Kim Kyung-soo, a secretary for the former President, characterized the complaint as a ploy to besmirch the previous administration.
``We will study the legal filing, discuss it with Roh's advisors and decide on the next course of action,'' said Roh's secretary, according to Yonhap News. The advisors reportedly believe it's the Lee Myung-bak administration that is actually behind the legal complaint filed by the KNA. They feel the government is using this for its own political gain, Yonhap reported.
The administration has accused Roh and his staff of illegally removing highly classified national intelligence material.
Roh has maintained his innocence over this issue. The former President has said that all he and his staff did was to take declassified copies of his administration's records for future reference.
The copies in question were returned earlier this month but Roh still has an administrative system server that his staff brought with them to his residence in Bongha, South Gyeongsang Province. Critics also charge that there might be other sensitive documents at Roh's home that have not yet been returned.
The KNA issued a statement Thursday explaining its decision to file legal complaints with the Prosecutors' Office. ``In accordance with the law, we decided to file these charges regarding the removal of presidential documents. Government officials are required to file a legal complaint when they see a breach of criminal law.''
In all, 10 former Cheong Wa Dae administrators and presidential secretaries were cited. The KNA said these former staff members were involved in the planning and execution stages of removing classified presidential intelligence from presidential computer servers.
``The incumbent administration, during its transitional incoming period, was informed of this activity. The administration began an internal investigation to look further into the matter," according to the KNA statement.
``By late March, the administration was able to confirm that Roh's former secretaries and other related personnel did indeed remove classified presidential documents when they were vacating Cheong Wa Dae.
``Documents that were illegally removed include confidential national records detailing policy formation and execution on issues ranging from domestic and foreign affairs to diplomacy and national defense. These documents are to be protected and preserved strictly at national level.''
The KNA added that at the moment, it was difficult to figure out whether Roh still has more classified documents at his home.
It said there are also questions about the administrative system server at Roh's current residence and whether there are online logs within the server that might contain confidential information.