Prosecutors Discover Choi Tae-min Reports Posted on Uri Members` Website

The public security department of the Seoul District Public Prosecutors’ Office attempted a seizure of data from the computer server in Dong-A Ilbo headquarters to obtain e-mail accounts of Heo Mahn-seop, and Choi Ho-yeol, two ShinDongA journalists. In response, on July 30, The Dong-A Ilbo decided to submit necessary materials that do not undermine the security of news sources.

On the same day, prosecutors reported that they discovered that an investigation report by the former National Intelligence Service (NIS) on the late Choi Tae-min, a pastor who was close to the former head of the Grand National Party, Park Geun-hye, had been posted on five websites on July 27 during the same period of time. The owners of the websites were former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, and Uri Party members Kim Hyeok-gyu, Kim Hyeon-mi, Park Yeong-seon, and Jeong Cheong-lae.

The prosecution is tracking involved people after determining that the report was posted for propagation since the format was a download-friendly PDF.

Meanwhile, the Seoul District Public Prosecutors’ Office special investigation team recently seized the home of Mr. Goh, an employee of the anti-corruption task force of the NIS. He queried the property ownership of Kim Jae-jeong, former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak’s brother-in-law, on the server of the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs in August 2006.

The prosecution also obtained Mr. Goh’s e-mail account, and is probing whether he released the queried file to politicians or other people.

Kim Hong-il, assistant prosecutor of the Seoul District Public Prosecutors’ Office, concerning Kim Jae-jeong’s lawsuit withdrawal against Grand National Party (GNP) member Yoo Seung-min and Kyunghyang Daily, said, “We still need to investigate the parts that are not subject to the principle of ‘no request, no punishment,’ and other cases reported as a crime.”

He also emphasized that the prosecution will carry out a thorough examination under law and principle, without any political intentions.

The prosecution plans to continue with the investigation on whether public organizations released private information on relatives of Lee, such as an abstract of residence registration or property specifications. Also it will scrutinize suspicions on whether the NIS made secret inquiries into Lee.

However, Kim said, “Since Kim Jae-jeong dropped the defamation suit concerning suspicions on property ownership under a borrowed name, it is unnecessary to investigate the part. Still, the GNP requested investigations on five Uri Party members, including Kim Hyeok-gyu, and research on the ensued counterclaim and the crime report of Ji Mahn-won is inevitable.”

needjung@donga.com