Senior prosecutor grilled over obstruction of justice

By Jung Min-ho

Jang Ho-joong, former head of the Busan District Public Prosecutors' Office, is surrounded by reporters at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul, Sunday. / Korea Times photo by Koh Young-kwon

A senior prosecutor was questioned Sunday for allegedly obstructing an investigation into the National Intelligence Service’s (NIS) illegal meddling in the 2012 presidential election.

Jang Ho-joong, who was on detached duty as the chief of the spy agency’s inspection bureau at the time, is suspected of lying to prosecutors in 2013 to help the NIS, which allegedly ran a secret smear campaign against then-candidate Moon Jae-in.

Moon eventually lost to Park Geun-hye by a narrow margin.

As he entered the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul at 3 p.m., Jang said he will cooperate with the investigation.

Yoon Seok-yeol, now head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, was in charge of the 2013 investigation team, which failed to indict anyone. He later revealed that he was not able to do his job because of pressure from high-ranking prosecutors.

Jang returned to the prosecution in February 2015 and later became the chief of the Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office and then the Busan District Public Prosecutors’ Office.

The prosecution is expected to look into the extent of his involvement in helping the NIS cover up its wrongdoings during the past two conservative governments.