Allegations over Cheong Wa Dae's election meddling snowballing

Former Ulsan Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon speaks during a press conference at National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday. / Yonhap

By Kang Seung-woo

Suspicions are snowballing that Cheong Wa Dae meddled in last year's local elections by getting the police to investigate a specific mayoral candidate in Ulsan.

Prosecutors are investigating the allegations, while figures involved in the accusations are denying them.

In March last year, the Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency raided the offices of then Ulsan Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon's aides after receiving information on alleged corruption from the National Police Agency. The latter said it had received a tip-off from the office of the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, led by Cho Kuk at the time before he was named justice minister.

While the nine-month investigation was underway, Kim lost the local elections in June to Song Cheol-ho, a close friend of President Moon Jae-in; while later his aides were cleared of all accusations, raising suspicions that the presidential office orchestrated the investigation.

Kim and his Liberty Korea Party, the main opposition party, claim that the investigation was politically motivated, calling for a special investigation by the National Assembly and the arrest of Hwang Un-hah who was then in charge of the Ulsan Police Agency.

“Cheong Wa Dae manipulated public opinion by abusing its authority to help Song win the local election,” Kim said, saying this was a clear case of election interference.

He also hinted that President Moon and Cho were the responsible figures behind the scenes, saying they helped Song's bid in the 2014 by-election.

In addition, citing Hwang's retirement and preparation for next year's general election on the ticket of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, Kim said the former Ulsan police chief's order to investigate his aides showed that this was politically motivated.

In response, Hwang said he was unaware that the allegations of corruption made against Kim's aides came from Cheong Wa Dae.

“We received the tip from the National Police Agency and did not know where they got it from,” he said on Facebook.

“We launched an investigation into the allegations, which were confirmed through an internal probe, and referred them to the prosecution. There was no political motive.”

Cheong Wa Dae has also denied speculation that it ordered police to investigate Kim.

“The civil affairs office receives a lot of corruption-related information regarding public officials and transferred this to the relevant investigative authorities,” presidential spokeswoman Ko Min-jung said.

Former presidential secretary for civil affairs Baek Won-woo, who allegedly first produced the report about the case, also said in a statement that the information was sent to the police according to due process. He said it was not reported to Cho at the time, and he and other officials at the civil affairs office did not receive any report from the police afterward.

Despite the denials, the prosecution is now investigating the allegations after reportedly obtaining evidence showing Cheong Wa Dae and the police agency exchanged documents.

The alleged election-rigging may add fuel to emerging criticism on the morality of the Moon administration along with the alleged influence peddling in a corruption scandal involving former Busan Vice Mayor Yoo Jae-soo.

Cheong Wa Dae's special inspection team looked into Yoo's alleged acceptance of kickbacks from financial firms while at the Financial Services Commission (FSC), but the inspection was halted suddenly and he avoided punishment. The prosecution is looking into allegations that Cho and other former Cheong Wa Dae officials may have been behind the sudden end of the investigation of Yoo.