Prosecutors to grill witness who says Cheong Wa Dae tried to cover up illegal spying on civilian


The prosecutors investigating the scandal involving the Prime Minister’s Office’s illegal surveillance of a civilian will summon Jang Jin-su on Tuesday.

Jang, a former civil servant convicted of destroying evidence regarding the matter, is at the center of growing controversy surrounding Cheong Wa Dae officials’ alleged attempt to cover up the incident.

Jang, who previously disclosed a recording of a conversation implicating a senior Cheong Wa Dae official in the cover-up attempt, also put forward additional allegations involving yet another member of the senior presidential staff.

In an interview with an online news organization, Jang said that the man who replaced Lee In-kyu as the head of the public ethics division at the PMO gave him 50 million won ($44,500), saying that the money was from Jang Seok-myeong. The latter Jang is a senior official in the presidential secretariat for civil affairs.

According to Jang Jin-su, the incident took place in April, a few days after his sentence was confirmed. He added that the man who delivered the cash had said in January that he could find Jang a post in the North Gyeongsang Province government if his sentence was reduced to a fine.

According to Jang, the meeting took place soon after he testified to the disciplinary committee that he had destroyed the hard disk of his computer under the directions from former presidential labor affairs staff member Choi Jong-seok.

The recording of the conversation previously implicated that former presidential labor affairs aide Choi Jong-seok apparently attempted to dissuade Jang from revealing the “whole truth” in exchange for cash and life-long support. The former presidential aide also says that the presidential office had a deal with the prosecution regarding the case.

The scandal erupted in 2010, entailing the illegal spying by officials at the PMO on a civilian who posted video clips critical of President Lee Myung-bak on his blog in 2008. The PMO officials destroyed their computers after prosecutors began an investigation.

The investigation was closed after several PMO officials were indicted despite speculations that officials in the presidential office were involved.

Lee In-kyu, head of the public ethics division at the PMO, and three of his staff received prison terms for illegal surveillance, while three others, including Jang, were convicted of destroying evidence.

Jang was sentenced to eight months in jail, suspended for two years. The former official claims that the presidential office ordered him to destroy the hard drive of his computer with a hammer or dump it in the Han River. He also claims that the presidential office provided him with a mobile phone registered under a borrowed name to report on related matters.

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)