Key presidential aides unscathed by prosecutors’ investigation

Prosecutors announced investigation results on the "memogate scandal” on Sunday and practically put an end to the probe. The prosecutors` office has concluded that the documents alleging that Jeong Yun-hoe, a former aide for President Park Geun-hye, meddled in state affairs through secret meetings with 10 secretaries and Jeong hired a man to follow President Park’s younger brother, Park Ji-man, were all falsehood. The conclusion was drawn just as President Park dismissed suspicions in December last year by saying, “It is shameful that the whole nation is swayed by a collection of groundless rumors.”

Cho Eung-cheon, former presidential secretary for civil service discipline, was indicted without physical detention on charges of leaking 17 presidential records, including a briefing document about the president’s close relatives written by police superintendent Park Kwan-cheon (indicted with physical detention) to younger Park, the chairman of EG Group. Still, it remains doubtful whether the public would be convinced by taking judicial acts only on the two who leaked the documents, not holding Chairman Park responsibility for the leakage.

On the reasons why the two officials gave the leaked documents to younger Park, prosecutors concluded, saying, “Such acts were to hold Jeong and the three secretaries known as powerbrokers at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, including Lee Jae-man, presidential secretary for general affairs, in check. If that is true, somebody must be held responsibility for collapsed internal disciplines inside Cheong Wa Dae to an extent where those who were supposed to monitor the president’s younger brother authored fake documents to grow their influence while working as a behind-the-scene aide for him.

However, suspicions over meddling in state affairs remain unresolved by the prosecution probe. Even though prosecutors concluded the allegations of gathering of 10 key presidential aides or having placed the younger Park under surveillance were all fabricated, it is hard to jump to a conclusion that any key aide never exerted undue influence on state affairs.

Main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy brought charges against those involved in meddling in appointment of personnel in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. But there has been little progress in the investigation. Former Culture Minister Yoo Jin-ryong said, “President Park took out her note in August 2013, mentioned names of two officials and said, "I was told that they were bad people.’” The prosecution showed its willingness to proceed with the probe but it is highly doubtful whether prosecutors would investigate an issue that may negatively affect President Park. If the prosecutors’ office tries to put an end to the investigation without any fruit, it will give weight to the opposition party’s calling for a special investigation into the case.

The prosecutors’ office summoned presidential secretary Lee Jae-man for investigation and went through document investigation on the other two presidential aides, Jeong Ho-seong and Ahn Bong-geun, of the three secretaries in question. It is not convincing that the investigators ended up with lukewarm probe on Ahn, who is suspected for intervening in police personnel appointment. One factor that sparked the "Jeong Yun-hoe memoranda scandal" was the president herself who gave too much authorities and power to the key secretaries. President Park said they ran some "errands," but even the ruling party raised suspicions over the three secretaries in question whenever unreasonable personnel appointment became an issue. This is the reason for the Park administration to transform the way of appointing personnel at Cheong Wa Dae ahead of the start of its third year in power.