It is unthinkable for an incumbent court judge to ask a prosecutor to charge a person he has a grudge against ― so unthinkable that the code of ethics for judges has no mention of it in its guidelines.

But a podcaster has recently accused Judge Kim Jae-ho of doing just that. He accused him of calling on a prosecutor to take action against an investigative reporter who was critical of his wife, Na Kyung-won. Na made an unsuccessful bid for the post of Seoul mayor last October.

Kim is keeping silent on the allegation. Neither the court nor the prosecutors’ office has come out to clear suspicions against the judge. Instead, they are hiding for dubious reasons, fanning public distrust against the two institutions ― one empowered to administer justice and the other to enforce the law.

The case dates back to Oct. 25, one day prior to the Seoul mayoral by-election, when Choo Jin-woo of SisaIN magazine claimed on a podcast that Kim, who presides at a Seoul trial court, called a prosecutor to take action against a blogger, against whom his wife had pressed charges of libel. In response to the claim, Na pressed charges again, this time against the reporter for spreading false information.

On Wednesday, podcaster Kim Ou-joon identified the prosecutor by name and said that she recently reported the judge’s call to the prosecutors’ office, as the law-enforcement agency was moving to arrest the reporter. The podcaster claimed her confirmation prevented the reporter’s arrest.

In response, the Supreme Court said it was yet to confirm facts because nothing but the podcaster’s allegation was available. The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office declined to comment on the case, citing the ongoing investigation into the case by the police as a reason. The prosecutor in point refused to make herself available for confirmation.

Suspicions are snowballing as none of the parties are willing to make a clean breast of the judge’s alleged misconduct. Both the court and the prosecutors’ office should be reminded that public confidence is being eroded as they refuse to look squarely at the grave allegation.

All they have to do is tell the truth. If the judge is found to have misbehaved himself, they must take remedial measures immediately. The court and the prosecutors’ office will not be able to regain public trust in any other way.