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[EDITORIALS]Officials were off limits

Published: 05 Jan. 2003, 23:30

The public is closely watching the prosecution's investigation into the allegations against the president's sons. Suspicions are growing that the Blue House tried to have the investigations tainted with allegations of coercion. Did the Blue House try to make the prosecution's investigation look inappropriate? If that were the case, who tried to do it and for what?

According to Yoo Jin-geol, who was questioned, a senior official from the Blue House and a lawyer from the Millennium Democratic Party visited him in turn and asked him to say, "The prosecution investigated with force." But the Blue House said no one on its staff asked anyone to make that statement. The lawyer said that he visited Mr. Yoo because he sought his help.

We cannot understand why a police officer from the Blue House would visit a person who was just questioned by the prosecution and ask him if he was tortured during the interrogation. The presidential secretary for civil affairs said that he wanted to know what went on during the interrogation since he received information that the prosecution did something inappropriate. That is why, he said, he asked the police officer to find out the truth. And he said that the activity is certainly under his jurisdiction. But this explanation sounds awkward. His main job is handling matters related to the president's family. Why did he ask about torture by the prosecution? Also we cannot believe that the secretary alone decided to send the officer since the Blue House does not function in such a way.

As elections near and as the investigations into the activities of the president's sons move forward, the ruling party seems more desperate to tame the prosecution. That the MDP's presidential candidate, Roh Moo-hyun, and the party's president, Han Hwa-kap, harshly criticized the prosecution for investigating only the Blue House and the MDP shows such desperation. After the detainment of the president's third son, Kim Hong-gul, members of the MDP appeared eager to voice objections to the arrest of the two brothers concurrently, objecting to efforts to hold the president's second son, Kim Hong-up.

Political scandals should be dealt with strictly by law and principle. Every question regarding the scandal has to be answered. We need the prosecution's will to resist outside pressure now more than at any other time.