By Jun Ji-hye
Controversy surrounds the prosecution’s conclusion that former Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook fathered an illegitimate son, while clearing Cheong Wa Dae of allegations that it conducted illegal surveillance of civilians during a highly politicized investigation.
Given the timing of the announcement made Wednesday, several questions are being asked ― why did the prosecution announce the result of an eight-month-long investigation now, and how did it reach such a conclusion without questioning Chae?
Some critics also doubt the conclusion that Cheong Wa Dae’s broad background check of Chae as well as his alleged mistress named Lim and the teenage boy was legitimate, saying it smacks of the prosecution succumbing to pressure from the presidential office.
The announcement was made at a time when the entire nation is in mourning following the tragic sinking of the Sewol ferry.
“The timing has inevitably raised questions about the intention because the announcement could be regarded as an attempt to create additional news to deflect criticism against the government for its lax management of the maritime disaster,” said Bae Jong-chan, chief director at Research and Research, an opinion survey company.
There are also issues with how the investigators arrived at their conclusion without summoning Chae or carrying out a DNA test, given his persistent denial of the allegation that he fathered a son out of wedlock, analysts said.
Announcing the result of its investigation, prosecutor Shin Yoo-chul said investigators were able to reach a conclusion without questioning Chae, based on various circumstantial evidence including the name of the spouse entered on Lim’s pregnancy records.
However, critics still find this to be problematic. Some say, the least the prosecution could have done was question him in written form just as it did when investigating Cheong Wa Dae officials.
Some are even denouncing the announcement for undermining the essence of the investigation. The investigation began in September after some civic groups filed complaints against the office of senior secretary to the president for civil affairs for illegally examining the personal information of civilians which they believe it later leaked to the conservative daily Chosun Ilbo that then went public with the allegation.
This meant the core of the investigation was to uncover whether or not the presidential office systematically conducted background checks and leaked such information ostensibly to engineer the removal of the former top prosecutor.
The presidential office allegedly wanted to get rid of Chae because of his intense prying into the spy agency’s alleged intervention in the 2012 presidential election in which President Park Geun-hye won by a slim margin.
However, the prosecution only summoned one person ― Jo O-young, then a presidential administrator ― out of several Cheong Wa Dae officials allegedly implicated in the case. The prosecution by and large accepted the presidential office’s argument that the inspection was a fair performance of its duties.
Jo is said to have searched for the records of the child’s resident registration number and family relations registration with help from Cho I-jae of the Seocho District Office in Seoul. The prosecution failed to establish who instructed Jo to do so.
“The prosecution’s announcement of the result of its investigation of Chae at this time will highly likely deepen public distrust of the public office,” said Research and Research’s Bae.
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