ED Abuse of power

Time to overhaul anti-corruption agency

The state anti-corruption agency expressed regret over allegations that it made multiple requests to obtain the phone records of journalists, politicians and members of the public. In a statement Friday, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) said it regrets causing public controversy by following the investigative practices of a bygone era without sufficient forethought.

Yet it remains to be seen whether the CIO's expression of regret will calm the uproar triggered by the alleged surveillance activities. In fact, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) urged Kim Jin-wook, the head of the CIO, to resign even after the agency expressed regret.

The agency's request for the phone records came to light in early December when Kim Kyeong-yul, an accountant critical of the Moon Jae-in administration, revealed that the anti-corruption office requested his phone data from telecom companies. Subsequently, the CIO was found to have requested the phone data of scores of reporters at over 10 media organizations who mainly covered scandals involving the CIO itself, prompting suspicions that the journalists may have been targeted for writing stories critical of the agency.

What's puzzling is that the CIO's requests for the phone records of reporters at the conservative cable channel, TV Chosun, did not stop at the journalists themselves, but were extended to their family members. The PPP also revealed that the phone records of at least 26 of its lawmakers were collected by the agency.

The latest controversy should be a wake-up call for the CIO, which was launched in January vowing to be an independent agency respecting human rights. One cannot but wonder if it has exerted its authority humbly and moderately. The reality is that the agency has turned a deaf ear to the abuse of power argument, simply stating that the requests for data “followed established legal procedures for the purpose of checking the suspects' phone contacts.” The CIO should be completely overhauled and it needs to respond to the surveillance allegations sincerely and transparently. It's also necessary to re-examine the current practice that allows law enforcement agencies to seek phone records from telecom companies without a warrant.