Presidential hopefuls regret rejection of arrest warrant for Woo Byung-woo
By Choi Ha-young
.jpg?w=728)
Woo Byung-woo
Presidential candidates expressed regret in unison Wednesday over a court’s rejection of an arrest warrant that had been requested for Woo Byung-woo, a former presidential secretary for civil affairs.
Woo, a former prosecutor, is one of the key figures in the political scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her friend Choi Soon-sil.
“It’s hard to understand the court’s decision given that Woo allegedly interfered state affairs and made the prosecution a slave to power. He should be brought to justice,” said spokeman of Moon Jae-in, odds-on favorite to become the next president.
South Chungcheong Governor An Hee-jung, a runner-up presidential contender, and Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung also called for extending the mandate of the independent counsel team looking into the scandal.
“Woo is a key suspect in the presidential corruption scandal. We should find the truth by extending the team’s mandate,” An's spokesman said.
Lee said, “If its mandate expires on Feb. 28, it would be more difficult to prove the allegations against Woo.”
All the three contenders from the main opposition DPK have pledged to reform the prosecution. Woo could be the target of an investigation if one of the three wins the election.
Woo allegedly entered Cheong Wa Dae thanks to his connection with Choi. The team is also investigating the allegation that he interfered with an internal probe into Choi and the two foundations she set up.
The DPK labeled the prosecutor-turned-secretary Woo as a “shame” for the prosecution.
Calling him a “roach” after his repeated attempts to avoid punishment, the party Chairwoman Choo Mi-ae has urged for the arrest of Woo to figure out his confidants inside the prosecution.
“If Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong’s arrest signaled reform of chaebol, Woo’s arrest will signal reform of the prosecution,” she said Monday.
Prosecutor-turned-lawmaker Rep. Keum Tae-sup of the DPK emphasized the independent counsel team’s role saying the prosecution is not capable of investigating the ex-prosecutor in an objective manner.
“Ultimately, we should clarify how the presidential office has meddled in the prosecution through the secretary for civil affairs and establish laws to ban that from happening through direct or indirect engagement,” Keum told The Korea Times.
While opposition parties are bidding to extend the mandate, it is unclear whether it will be as acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn has stayed tight-lipped on the matter.