Probe reopened into former presidential aides accused of Ulsan election meddling

Politics

Published: 18 Jan. 2024, 17:11

Probe reopened into former presidential aides accused of Ulsan election meddling

From right, Lim Jong-seok, presidential chief of staff of the former Moon Jae-in government, and Cho Kuk, then-presidential secretary for civil affairs, at a National Assembly meeting in Seoul in a file photo dated Dec. 31, 2018. [KIM KYUNG-ROK]

Prosecutors reopened their investigations of Lim Jong-seok, former President Moon Jae-in's chief of staff, and Cho Kuk, then-presidential secretary for civil affairs, for their alleged meddling in the Ulsan mayoral election of 2018.

“After a thorough review of existing investigation records, trial records and recent Seoul Central District Court rulings, we decided we needed additional investigations into the Ulsan police’s alleged involvement [in the election] and the alleged bribing of an Ulsan mayoral candidate, and ordered the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office to conduct a new investigation,” said Seoul High Court in a statement on Thursday.

The case dates back to the mayoral election of Ulsan in 2018, when the police investigated then-Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon for alleged corruption. Kim, who was running for re-election, saw his popularity drop after the investigation. The police dropped the case against Kim after finding no evidence against him.

Ultimately, Kim's re-election bid failed, and Song Cheol-ho, a close friend of then-President Moon, won the race.

The corruption case gained traction when allegations surfaced a year later that several top presidential aides of the Moon government and even the Ulsan police chief colluded to get Moon’s close friend Song elected instead of Kim.

Cho was accused of ordering the police in Ulsan to investigate Kim. Lim was accused of talking another candidate, Lim Dong-ho, then a member of the supreme council of the Democratic Party, out of running in the mayoral race to improve Song's chances of victory.

The prosecution eventually dropped the charges against Lim and Cho for lack of evidence.

Others were indicted, however, including Song and Hwang Un-ha, chief of the Ulsan police at the time of the election and later a Democratic Party lawmaker, for violating the Public Official Election Act. The two were found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison in November last year.

Baek Won-woo, Moon's senior secretary for civil affairs, was sentenced to two years and Park Hyeong-cheol, presidential secretary for anticorruption for the Moon government, was given a year, both on the same charge.

Song Byung-gi, a former vice mayor of Ulsan during the term of Song Cheol-ho, was also convicted of violating the Public Official Election Act and sentenced to three years in prison.

Former Mayor Song, former Ulsan police chief Hwang and the prosecution filed appeals in December last year.

Following the court’s rulings last November, Kim Gi-hyeon, then-chairman of the People Power Party, called for reinvestigations of Cho and Lim and even an investigation of former President Moon himself.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]