Kim Rahn is the managing editor of The Korea Times. Since joining the company in 2003, she has covered various beats including the presidential office, Seoul city government, the Bank of Korea and the tourism industry. In 2014, she won the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her coverage of the ordeals of migrant women in Korea.
Former Seoul police chief cleared of election law violation
Opposition parties blast top court’s ruling on election meddling case
By Kim Rahn
Kim Yong-pan
By Kim Rahn
The Supreme Court has cleared Kim Yong-pan, former chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, of charges he obstructed an investigation into the spy agency’s meddling in the presidential election in 2012.
The court upheld rulings from the lower courts that acquitted Kim of violating the Election Law, citing a lack of evidence.
Opposition parties strongly protested the ruling, claiming it will pave the way for public officials to peddle influence in future elections.
In December 2012, a National Intelligence Service agent was investigated for posting online comments critical of Moon Jae-in, the then-presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party. The party later changed its name to the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD).
Analyzing the agent’s laptop, officers at Suseo Police Station announced that they could not find the postings, but later found the agent had indeed posted the comments.
Kim was indicted for ordering the police station to announce the false information and delay the disclosure of its investigation until the last day of the election campaign, which would have constituted illegal campaigning for a candidate.
The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of Kim, saying he did not intend to cover up the truth and order a false announcement. The Seoul High Court also concluded that Kim did not try to influence the election actively and systematically.
The two courts did not trust the testimony of Kwon Eun-hee, a former police officer at Suseo Police Station and the whistleblower who raised the allegations surrounding Kim.
Her testimony was contradictory to those from other officers from Suseo Station, who said Kim did not order them to fabricate the investigation.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, a related investigation into Kwon’s alleged perjury may begin. The prosecution investigated her after some conservative civic groups filed a complaint against her for allegedly giving false testimony about Kim’s influence peddling.
As the top court confirmed her testimony was different from the facts, prosecutors may summon Kwon for questioning over whether she intentionally gave a false testimony or if she was unaware of the facts.
Kwon quit her job with the police after the incident and became a lawmaker in Gwangju on the opposition party’s ticket in 2014. If perjury allegations are confirmed, she may lose her National Assembly seat.
The NPAD said the top court’s ruling was disappointing.
“Watching the lethargic ruling, we doubt whether there will be any measures to prevent state organizations’ or public workers’ meddling in elections in future,” it said in a statement.