Cheong Wa Dae, LKP clash over surveillance claims

Rep. Choi Gyo-il of the main opposition Liberty Korea reads the list of alleged Cheong Wa Dae inspection reports on civilians made by a former member of the presidential office's special inspection team during a party meeting for a fact-finding at the National Assembly. Yonhap

By Park Ji-won

Cheong Wa Dae and the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) clashed, Thursday, over claims by a former presidential staffer that the presidential office has spied on politicians and a conservative newspaper.

The LKP and other conservative parties are going all-out to raise political offensives against key aides of President Moon Jae-in who they believe were behind the alleged surveillance activities. However, the ruling camp claims the conservatives are engaged in excessive political maneuvering based on groundless allegations raised by a former staffer who is now under a corruption investigation.

LKP floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won revealed documents showing the names of figures allegedly spied on by Kim Tae-woo, a prosecution investigator who worked with the presidential office's special inspection team, in a party meeting, Wednesday.

“This is a very serious case,” Na said, asking for Cheong Wa Dae's explanations on the matter.

Na claimed Kim spied on the figures while working at Cheong Wa Dae and reported his surveillance activities to his boss.

The list includes political heavyweights such as former LKP leader and presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo, Ambassador to Russia Woo Yoon-keun and the conservative newspaper Chosun Ilbo, as well as a number of journalists and professors. The details of the documents weren't disclosed immediately.

“It seems that the presidential office randomly spied on civilians according to the lists. It is time for Cheong Wa Dae to answer it,” Na said.

The move came amid allegations of Cheong Wa Dae officials' recent misconducts including a presidential secretary found driving drunk and Kim allegedly influencing police investigations. The special inspector from the prosecution was ordered last month to return to his original post for allegedly trying to interfere with a police investigation for one of his acquaintances. The opposition camp possibly aimed to use the situation as leverage against the administration to find a breakthrough for conservative unification.

Meanwhile, the LKP has decided to file complaints with the prosecution against Cheong Wa Dae officials including Cho Kuk, the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, and Im Jong-seok, the presidential chief of staff, for abuse of power and negligence of duty.

The LKP and the smaller opposition Bareunmirae Party also vowed to push for a parliamentary investigation or a probe by an independent counsel, if necessary.

Meanwhile, the ruling camp denied the LKP's claim as Kim conducted the alleged illicit inspection on his own and unauthorized documents were scrapped or not reported.

On Wednesday, Cheong Wa Dae filed a complaint with the prosecution against him, alleging that Kim divulged governmental secrets to the public.

In a press briefing, Park Hyeong-chul, presidential anti-corruption secretary and Kim's boss, said Wednesday that the unnecessary information reported by him was discarded and Kim gathered some information without instruction from the team.

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) urged the opposition camp to stop its political attack mirroring the past administrations' surveillance incidents.

Rep. Seo Young-kyo, senior vice floor leader of the DPK, said “The Lee Myung-bak administration conducted illegal surveillance on key figures of environmental activists, for example, those who stood against the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project. The Defense Security Command under the Park Geun-hye administration illegally inspected the bereaved families of missing students in the sinking of the ferry Sewol and students of their high school.”

“The opposition camp should stop attacking (the ruling camp) by using the information obtained by a special inspector who was sent back to the original post due to his illegalities.”