Probe into Lee Moo-Young`s Involvement in Cover-up

The Seoul District Prosecutor`s Office Foreign Affairs Division (Chief Prosecutor Park Young-Ryul), which is investigating `the case of cover-up and manipulation of the murder of Suzi Kim` summoned on Dec. 5 the former National Police Agency (NPA) Commissioner Lee Moo-Young as a reference and questioned him intensively as to whether he was informed by the former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Anti-Communism Department Director Kim in February of last year that it was simply a murder case.

The Prosecutor`s Office supposedly obtained a deposition of the person concerned with the case that the former Commissioner Lee had ordered his subordinates to consider cooperation in the case on the former NIS Director Kim`s request, and received a report in connection with it later.

But it was known that the former Commissioner Lee had stated, "I was never informed by the former Director Kim of the case nor received any reports from my subordinates."

The Prosecutor Office also examined the background and genuineness of the former Commissioner Lee`s claim that the former Director Kim "asked me at a meeting in a hotel on Nov. 5 `to pretend for his sake that the case was closed because NIS Second Deputy-Chief Um Ik-Joon (deceased) had called me`."

The Prosecutor`s Office said that it had brought the former Commissioner Lee face to face with others including the former Director Kim, adding, "A decision on whether or not to press criminal charges against him will be made after the investigation is completed."

The Prosecutor`s Office continued that as soon as the investigation of the former Commissioner Lee is completed, the subjects to a criminal punishment among former and current personnel of the NIC and NPA would be determined.

Meanwhile, the Prosecutor`s Office reportedly had made written inquiries of Im Dong-Won (Current Presidential Special Advisor for Diplomacy, Security and Unification) during the last week as to whether he received a report regarding the case from the former Deputy-Chief Um in February of last year, and Im answered, "I was not informed (of the case)."

Lee Myoung-Gun gun43@donga.com