Blue House is firm on spy post choice

President Roh Moo-hyun yesterday stood by his choice to head the National Intelligence Service, the 66-year-old former human-rights lawyer Ko Young-koo, despite the National Assembly’s judgment that the choice was “inappropriate.”
“Rather than expertise, we need a person who will revamp the National Intelligence Service,” the Blue House spokeswoman, Song Kyoung-hee, quoted Mr. Roh as saying yesterday.
“What is important in a new director is to ensure stern political neutrality at the service and to manage it responsibly,” the president reportedly said.
“The president will appoint Mr. Ko after he receives the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee report on Friday from Speaker Park Kwan-yong,” said Jeong Chan-yong, the presidential adviser for personnel affairs.
A Blue House official said Mr. Roh will “consider” the Assembly’s criticism of the rumored appointment of Suh Dong-man, a professor at Sangji University, as the service’s chief of policy planning and coordination.
“There was never a discussion about appointing Professor Suh within the Blue House personnel committee,” a Blue House official said, adding that Mr. Suh accompanied Mr. Ko to the Assembly hearings because he had headed a group that had helped Mr. Ko prepare for the hearings and for his new job. The Assembly hearing and the committee’s verdict have no legal effect on the appointment.
The Blue House official, who asked to be quoted anonymously, suggested that Mr. Ko wants Mr. Suh for the job. He said, “Mr. Ko will hold a meeting to pick appointments for senior jobs, including the head of the office of policy planning and coordination. I do not know if Mr. Ko will again recommend Mr. Suh for the job.”
Moon Jae-in, the Blue House adviser for civil affairs and an associate of Mr. Roh since their days in Busan as human rights lawyers, also reportedly recommended Mr. Suh for the policy position at the agency.
Moon Hee-sang, the Blue House chief of staff, said yesterday, “All the questions raised at the hearing were covered in our personnel meetings. We found no problems with Mr. Ko’s nomination to head the agency. He is a reform-minded figure with a sense of ethics.”
The opposition Grand National Party disagreed. “The president would mock the Assembly if he were to go ahead despite bipartisan unanimity,” said Park Hee-tae, the acting head of the party. “It is not too late for Mr. Roh to appoint a new candidate.”

by Choi Hoon