Ex-Supreme Court head to face questioning

Former Supreme Court justice Ko Young-han receives questions from the press on his arrival at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in Seoul, Friday. / Yonhap

By Kim Jae-heun

Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae seems to be losing ground in his resistance to prosecution questioning over the judiciary power abuse scandal.

On Friday, prosecutors questioned Ko Young-han, a retired former Supreme Court justice, at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office as a key suspect in the case.

And a fresh allegation was raised that Yang meddled in the appointment of a presidential legal affairs secretary under the Park Geun-hye administration.

Ko became the third former chief of the National Court Administration (NCA) to face prosecution questioning, following Cha Han-sung and Park Byong-dae earlier this month. The NCA is the Supreme Court's administrative body.

With all former NCA chiefs under Yang's leadership having faced prosecution questioning, the former chief justice is highly expected to be on the prosecutors' radar.

Although no date has been set for questioning of the chief justice, insiders say it will be soon after the prosecution determines its custody investigation of Park Byong-dae.

Park has denied all allegations, including alleged interference in a compensation suit filed by Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor. The trial in the top court dragged on for five years to delay the ruling against a Japanese company to maintain former President Park's friendly foreign policy towards Japan.

He is also accused of helping Yang to create a slush fund with government money.

Ko headed the NCA from February 2016 to May 2017.

“I sincerely apologize to the people for causing trouble to the people who care about the judiciary,” Ko said.

“Even at this moment, I express my regret to every member of the court including junior judges who are working hard to make the right decisions and realize justice. I only hope the court will regain public trust.”

He is accused of covering up the judicial officer's corruption case in the southern city of Busan in 2016 as an accomplice of former NCA deputy head Lim Jong-hun, another person of interest in the judiciary power abuse scandal.

The judge, surnamed Moon, leaked information about the trial of a businessman who offered bribes in return.

Ko indirectly abused his power to overlook Moon's irregularity because the judge was a close aide of Hyun Ki-hwan, then presidential secretary of political affairs.

Yang needed to lobby Hyun to realize his long-envisioned goal of establishing a separate court of appeals, which needs the head of state's approval.

Ko used his influence in a trial against the progressive teachers' union, which opposed the Park administration's education policy.

Meanwhile, according to the prosecution and police, Lim picked two candidates for the secretary position at Cheong Wa Dae and contacted them to check if they would work there between 2015 and 2016, raising speculation the NCA may have intervened in the personnel affairs of the presidential office.

Lim was arrested last month for his alleged role in illicit lobbying and trial manipulation involving Yang.