Whistle-blower sues over Blue House insult

The Blue House special inspector-turned whistle-blower sued President Moon Jae-in’s former senior secretary and two members of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Thursday for insulting him, blaming them for causing “irreparable pain” to him and his family.

Kim Tae-woo, a former member of a Blue House special inspection bureau, filed a criminal lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office and told reporters that Yoon Young-chan, Moon’s former senior secretary for public affairs; Rep. Hong Ik-pyo, a DP lawmaker who serves as the party’s senior spokesman; and Choi Min-hee, a former DP lawmaker, all “ruthlessly committed verbal violence” against him last month after he blew the whistle on irregularities by Moon’s top aides.

Yoon, who stepped down from his post early this month amid speculation he was going to run in the parliamentary elections in 2020, was the first high-level official in the Blue House to go on the record about Kim’s accusations when, in a text message to Blue House correspondents on Dec. 17, he compared Kim to a “loach” who was “completely muddying stream water.”

Choi followed up three days later, saying she couldn’t agree with Yoon that Kim was a loach. “He’s a criminal who’s nothing more than a minnow,” she said on a radio show. Hong compared Kim to “a squid” in an official DP statement on Dec. 31.

Talking to reporters Thursday as he arrived at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, Kim said the “insults” were broadcast across the nation and that his mother was so shocked, she had to take to a sickbed.

Kim said he couldn’t forgive such powerful people for going after a “weak individual” like himself - but added he was willing to forgive them if they apologized.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN, KIM KI-JEONG [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]