Investigators to go to Shanghai to probe `sex scandal`

Investigators will fly to Shanghai to probe the scandal involving leaks of state secrets under a pan-government investigation team of the Korean Prime Minister’s Office, Justice Ministry and Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry.

The Korean government is under fire, however, for allegedly giving a belated response to a scandal that it knew of in November last year and attempting to hastily cover up by treating it as extramarital affairs.

Seoul will dispatch investigators to Shanghai soon to find how state secrets were leaked to a Chinese woman whose surname is Deng, the key figure of the scandal, and see if additional data was handed over to her. Whether other Korean diplomats in addition to a former consular officer and ex-commercial attaché had affairs with Deng will also be probed.

A leading member of the presidential office in Seoul said, “According to the results of onsite investigations, independent probes by either prosecutors or the Board of Audit and Inspection will be requested.”

Kim Seok-min, secretary general of the Prime Minister’s Office, also said, “The joint investigation team will resolve previously incomplete probes through onsite inspections.”

If the team confirms that additional secrets were leaked, however, a diplomatic row is likely between Korea and China.

Separately, the Prime Minister’s Office probed Kim Jung-ki, a former Korean consulate general in Shanghai, for two days on how the data he had was leaked to Deng and confirm his relationship with the woman.

Kim was also grilled over whether he pressured Korean consular officers who had affairs with Deng to cover up the scandal. Kim, however, is said to have given the same answer that someone leaked the information.

The Korean Foreign Ministry also conducted an independent investigation. A ministry official said, “A probe is seeking to find out if a 48-year-old ministry official tarnished the dignity of a diplomat and leaked confidential information,” adding, “We will launch an investigation into former Consulate General Kim if necessary.”

The Foreign Ministry is known to have asked the Justice Ministry to hand over the results of a probe into a former consular officer in Shanghai belonging to the Justice Ministry.

lightee@donga.com yongari@donga.com