Elusive ex-presidential secretary questioned
By Lee Kyung-min
The prosecution questioned Woo Byung-woo, who has so far avoided arrest, Wednesday, over his alleged connections to the corruption scandal that removed former President Park Geun-hye from office.
“Today is the fourth time I have been here this year,” Woo said before entering the building. “If it is my fate, I will accept it. I also think it is up to me to overcome this.”
Woo, Park’s former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, appeared before the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office to undergo questioning, this time for his suspected involvement in the alleged spy agency-sanctioned illegal surveillance of various people. These include Lee Seok-su, an inspector who served in the Park administration, high-ranking culture ministry officials, Woori CEO Lee Kwang-goo and former head of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics Organizing Committee Kim Jin-sun.
Lee, who Park appointed to look into alleged corruption by Woo, was dismissed after recommending the prosecution investigate Woo over alleged abuse of power and embezzlement.
While the “declared” reason for his dismissal was for leaking details of the then-ongoing investigation of Woo to a broadcast journalist, speculation abounded that the prosecutor-turned-civil affairs secretary had such deep connections in key government agencies that he could never be held criminally accountable.
The district office and the independent counsel team led by Park Young-soo both sought arrest warrants for Woo, but the Seoul Central District Court rejected them, only adding to the growing speculation. Prosecutors are expected to seek an arrest warrant for him.
They questioned Woo on whether he ordered the surveillance, bypassing the necessary chain of command in the National Intelligence Service.
Two former NIS officials including Choo Myeong-ho, a former chief of the NIS domestic intelligence unit, earlier stated they regularly briefed Woo about their activities regarding Lee and that they only answered to him. Choo, who was arrested last week, has been indicted for abuse of power and violating the NIS Law.
Sanctioning such activities against Lee, the prosecution said, was not to check on the corruption of high-ranking public officials, a responsibility of Woo’s office. It had more to do with “finding dirt” on him and leveraging it against his inspection which was about to uncover substantial evidence implicating Woo.
Prosecutors also questioned Woo over an allegation by a task force looking into the NIS’s illegal activities that he ordered the culture ministry to create a “blacklist” of artists and entertainment personalities which blocked them from receiving state support. The list contained names of those critical of Park or the policy initiatives of her administration.
Woo is standing trial for his alleged involvement in covering up Choi Soon-sil’s wide-ranging meddling in various state affairs. Choi is Park’s longtime friend and a central figure in the corruption scandal.