Candidates scrambling to tackle aftereffect of counsel investigation
By Yi Whan-woo
Choi Geum-rak, presidential secretary for public relations, speaks on Cheong Wa Dae’s view of the conclusion of an independent counsel’s investigation into alleged irregularities involving President Lee Myung-bak’s nowscrapped retirement home project at the presidential office in Seoul, Wednesday. / Yonhap
The three main presidential candidates are scrambling to cope with the aftereffect of the independent counsel’s conclusion Wednesday on allegations of irregularities involving President Lee Myung-bak’s now-scrapped retirement home project.
Aides to conservative Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party said they welcome the special prosecution’s decision to drop charges against the first family. Observers said the response is politically-motivated to embrace supporters of President Lee ahead of the Dec. 19 election.
“We fully respect the result of the investigation,” said Rep. Ahn Hyung-hwan, a spokesman for Park’s election campaign.
“We think that the special prosecutors made their all-out effort although their conclusion is controversial and some people are still complaining about it,” he added.
In contrast, the two liberal contenders_ Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party and independent Ahn Cheol-soo_ said the Lee-Park alliance disrupted the investigation and stressed justice is at risk under the conservative government.
“The prosecutors failed because of the pressure from the corrupt Lee-Park alliance,” said Park Kwang-on, a spokesman for the DUP candidate’s election campaign.
He cited the fact that the conservative ruling Saenuri Party demanded Cheong Wa Dae reject the special counsel’s request for a 15-day extension of its investigation that ended Wednesday.
By law, the special counsel may require approval of the President in launching and extending its investigation.
Moon and Ahn consistently demanded Cheong Wa Dae cooperate with the probe since it began on Oct. 15. Their move was considered a part of strategies to win the Dec. 19 election by publicizing alleged corruption surrounding the conservative lame-duck president, his family, aides, as well as Park who is politically affiliated with him.
Independent candidate Ahn did not comment on the result of the investigation, but blamed both the President and Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate on Tuesday by hinting the possibility of collusion amongst them.
“The President and Park, as well as the Saenuri Party, have collaborated to cover up the allegations in this corruption case and discouraged the prosecution from uncovering the truth,” said Yoo Min-young, a spokesman for Ahn.
“President Lee’s refusal of an extension for the probe clearly shows that he is part of a group of people saturated with elitism, committing foul play for their benefit.”
The special counsel only indicted former Presidential Security Service (PSS) Chief Kim In-jong and two other PSS officials. They were charged with their involvement in the shady deal over the purchase of the land in Naekgok-dong, southern Seoul, to build a retirement home for the President and auxiliary facilities for his security personnel.
Cheong Wa Dae expressed regrets over the results of the investigation though President Lee’s 34-year-old son and First Lady Kim Yun-ok avoided indictment.
The son allegedly borrowed 600 million won ($542,000) from his father’s eldest brother, Lee Sang-eun, to buy the land jointly with Kim In-jong.
The PSS service allegedly paid a high price to help the President’s son buy the remaining land at a lower rate than the market price.