Cheong Wa Dae was caught up in controversy on Friday after a local report revealed a confidential document alleging that a former confidant of President Park Geun-hye was involved in influence peddling.
The Segye Ilbo claimed that the presidential office conducted a probe into Park’s former adviser Chung Yoon-hoi early this year and found that he was meeting with three presidential secretaries on a regular basis to exchange classified information on Park’s state management.
According to the document, Chung and the three Blue House staff also tried to pull strings to replace Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon and officials in other top positions.
The document, written on Jan. 6, was intended to discover the source behind rumors about Kim circulating at the time, the Segye Ilbo claimed. It was rumored that Kim was ill and about to be replaced. The newspaper revealed the names of the three incumbent presidential staff.
Cheong Wa Dae denied the reports, saying that they were based on rumors, not facts.
“The report is nothing more than a collection of groundless rumors, so-called ‘chirashi,’” said presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook.
“Cheong Wa Dae will take stern legal action by filing a complaint today,” he said.
Meanwhile, the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy attacked the presidential office and the ruling Saenuri Party over the influence-peddling allegations.
The move was seen as an attempt to politicize the controversy to take a lead in the ongoing negotiations over the budget and other government bills.
The document also states that Chung and the three presidential staff were among a secretive 10-man group that pulled strings for officials seeking special favors for promotion. It identified Chung as the one who started spreading rumors about Kim Ki-choon.
The document was allegedly written by a police officer dispatched to Cheong Wa Dae’s division in charge of civil service discipline. The investigator was ordered to return to the National Police Agency the following month, according to reports.
Chung attracted media attention recently, after reports speculated that he met the president at a private place in Seoul when the Sewol ferry sank off the country’s southwest coast on April 16.
The prosecution said it had summoned Chung as part of the investigation into a Japanese newspaper that ran the story on Park’s alleged secret meeting with Chung. The 59-year-old Chung denied the reports of his encounter with the president and claimed that he was not a key aide to Park.
Chung is little-known in national politics, but he is said to have supported Park when she was running for a by-election in Daegu in 1998. He also reportedly contributed to Park’s 2012 presidential election victory through low-key campaign activities.
By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)
