President Ordered Stern Action Against Those Responsible For NIS Photo Incident

Touching on an incident that the photos in which the president is posing with some high-ranking officials of the National Intelligence Service were leaked to a media outlet, President Roh said Monday at a meeting of his aides and senior secretaries, “It is an unthinkable mistake. Chung Wa Dae and the NIS need to launch a thorough investigation into the case because Chung Wa Dae has part of responsibility for the incident. And those who will be found responsible for the incident should be subjected to harsh disciplinary actions.”

As a result, responding to the president`s instruction, the presidential secretary office for civil affairs launched its own investigation and questioned staff members at the media support team where presidential cameramen belong in order to unveil how a presidential cameraman under the presidential public relations office offered the photo to Oh My News.

Apart from its investigation, the presidential public relations office is now considering measures how to deal with Oh MyNews` action of having shown the photos in question on its website for 39 hours.

It has been reported that the president was enraged with the fact that the photos, recording materials of state affairs, of which Chung Wa Dae is in charge were leaked to a media outlet without any troubles. The photos in question were offered by a Chung Wa Dae cameraman at the request of Oh MyNews. According to sources, the cameraman offered the pictures of the president being briefed on NIS activities and having luncheon with NIS officials that took place on June 20 without knowing those pictures are classified materials.

Now Chung Wa Dae is considering how to deal with secretary for media support Kim Man-soo who has a primary responsibility for all photo materials of Chung Wa Dae. Chung Wa Dae is taking pains on the scope and severity of a punishment against Secretary Kim because he was in China to prepare for President Roh`s state visit there when the incident took place.

Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Yoon Tae-young extended a formal apology to the public at a regular briefing session at Chung Wa Dae by saying, “I would like to extend a formal apology for the incident to the public. I will do my utmost efforts to prevent recurrence of a similar incident.”

For its part, president Oh Youn-ho and chief editor of Oh MyNews wrote a formal letter on the company`s website Monday. The letter said, “We are sincerely apologizing for displaying classified photos to our readers and government authorities.”

Meanwhile, opposition Grand National Party`s vice spokesman Yang Han-duck claimed that the government showed once again its lack of administrative experience and laxity of official discipline through the incident.

Jeong-Hun Kim jnghn@donga.com