Park is alleged to have removed intelligence reports on Chung Yoon-hoi from the presidential office and leaked the information to the media. Chung is a former aide of President Park Geun-hye, and is rumored to have influenced state affairs.
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| Police Superintendent Park Gwan-chun (Yonhap) |
The presidential office claims that the officer removed the documents when he was reassigned from Cheong Wa Dae’s division overseeing matters regarding discipline within the civil service.
In the raids, prosecution investigators searched the officer’s home, his current office in Dobong Police Station and the National Police Agency division he was assigned to before serving in his current position and after serving in the presidential office.
Park Gwan-chun is said to have brought some items to the National Police Agency office on Feb. 10, two days before his assignment at Cheong Wa Dae was terminated. Park then removed the items on Feb. 16. There have been claims that the concerned documents were accessed by other police officers during this period.
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| (Yonhap) |
The prosecution plans to question Superintendent Park within the week, after analyzing the confiscated materials.
The police officer has denied the allegations, and claimed that the documents were accessed by unknown parties while he was still assigned to the presidential office.
Since the daily Segye Ilbo carried the story on Nov. 28, eight Cheong Wa Dae officials including Lee Jea-man, the presidential administrative secretary, have lodged criminal complaints against six Segye Ilbo officials over the report.
Following the complaint, the prosecution has banned the police officer and former presidential aide Jo Eung-cheon from leaving the country. Jo, who was chief of Cheong Wa Dae’s office for civil servants’ discipline, has claimed that most of the information in the documents is credible.
Jo is also in line for questioning, as are Lee Jae-man and other Cheong Wa Dae staff who have been found to have had contact with Chung.
By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)
