Presidential aide questioned in link to opinion-rigging scandal

Baek Won-woo, the presidential secretary of civil affairs, presents himself for questioning at the office of the special counsel in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, Wednesday, concerning his alleged involvement in an online opinion-rigging scandal. / Yonhap

By Lee Suh-yoon

A close presidential aide was questioned on Wednesday about his links to the online opinion-rigging scandal that has rocked the nation for months.

Baek Won-woo, President Moon Jae-in's secretary of civil affairs, presented himself for questioning at the office of the special counsel in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, concerning his alleged involvement in the online comment manipulation led by an influential blogger, Druking.

“I will faithfully comply with the probe,” Baek told reporters before entering the counsel's office.

Baek met up with a lawyer surnamed Do, a close associate to Druking, on March 28, just one week after Druking was arrested.

The meeting took place after Druking blackmailed former Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker Kim Kyoung-soo, now the governor of South Gyeongsang Province, after Kim allegedly refused to help Do get assigned to the consul general post in Osaka as an “award” to Druking for his opinion manipulation after Moon was elected president last year.

These recent revelations are raising suspicions that Cheong Wa Dae tried to directly contain the opinion-rigging scandal, possibly by offering Druking a political transaction of sorts.

Cheong Wa Dae said earlier that Baek met Do to learn the facts about Druking's threat to the governor.

Kim was also summoned twice for interrogation about the allegation that he colluded with Druking to rig political opinions online in favor of the then-opposition DPK. The counsel sought an arrest warrant for Kim late Wednesday for his alleged collusion in the opinion rigging with Druking.