By Na Jeong-ju
The prosecution will issue a summons for former presidential secretary for employment and labor Lee Young-ho as early as this week to look into Cheong Wa Dae’s alleged involvement in covering up the government’s illegal surveillance of citizens critical of President Lee Myung-bak.
The former labor activist said in a press conference Tuesday that he ordered his staff to destroy data on surveillance activities when the prosecution first investigated the case in 2010. However, he claimed he did so not because they contained any information about illegal activities, but because he had to prevent a possible leakage of confidential information about public servants.
“I will take full responsibility for this. The buck stops here,” he said, refuting suspicions that powerful presidential aides might have been instructing him. He reacted angrily to a reporter who asked whether he was told by Cheong Wa Dae to speak to the media.
At the conference, Lee repeatedly said he was telling the truth. However, suspicions are growing over who gave orders to Lee and who orchestrated the surveillance scheme.
Chang Jin-soo, a former staffer of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) who alleged Cheong Wa Dae’s involvement in the surveillance and destroying related evidence afterwards, says he has “further revelations to make,” indicating an uphill fight for truth.
Chang’s allegation that he received money last year from the office of the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs “in return for concealing the truth” suggests possible involvement of Justice Minister Kwon Jae-jin in the scandal. Kwon, a former prosecutor, served as the senior civil affairs secretary from 2009 to 2011.
The main opposition Democratic United Party suspects the involvement of a fraternity of senior officials whose hometowns are Yeongil and Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province. The so-called Yeongpo group has close ties to President Lee, who spent most of his childhood in Pohang. Its members include the ex-presidential secretary Lee and Park Young-joon, who worked as deputy prime minister from 2009 and 2010 when the PMO’s ethics bureau conducted the illegal surveillance.
Prosecutors called in Chang for questioning Wednesday for the second consecutive day over his revelations.
Asked whether he saw the press conference held by the former presidential secretary, Chang said, “I saw it. All things will be revealed through the prosecution’s investigation.”
He didn’t elaborate further.
Chang’s lawyer Lee Jae-hwa told reporters that they have material to prove that higher ranking presidential officials were involved in the surveillance scheme.
“We are going to submit important evidence today,” Lee said. “The former presidential secretary said he was taking full and sole responsibility, but few trust him.”
The prosecution is also in the hot seat.
Following its first probe in 2010, the prosecution indicted only seven low-ranking civil servants, including Chang, for the illegal monitoring of citizens. It said at the time that it couldn’t discover any evidence suggesting Cheong Wa Dae’s involvement, drawing criticism from opposition parties.
In the face of mounting public calls to get to the bottom of the case, the prosecution reopened the investigation last week.