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Special probe looms over surveillance scandal

By 황장진
Published : April 1, 2012 - 10:24

Rival parties on Saturday virtually agreed to launch a special investigation into allegations of the government's extensive spying on public officials and citizens years ago, as the presidential office blamed the previous administration for most of the alleged wrongdoings raised by the opposition camp.

Early Saturday afternoon, the ruling Saenuri Party proposed appointing a special counsel to investigate the government's alleged surveillance of officials and civilians, calling for efforts to terminate wrong practices of the past.


Lee Young-ho (Yonhap News)



The main opposition Democratic United Party immediately reacted positively to the proposal, saying the illegal surveillance instructed by the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae should naturally be a scandal that has to be investigated by an independent counsel.

The development came after striking employees at public broadcaster KBS disclosed Thursday that they obtained 2,619 individual government reports that an ethics team under the Prime Minister's Office drew up in 2008-2010 after spying on top officials, politicians, journalists and civilians.

Cheong Wa Dae said late Saturday afternoon that more than 80 percent of the 2,600-odd cases of civilian surveillances were carried out during the presidency of Roh Moo-hyun, the predecessor of President Lee Myung-bak. Lee's office also said it is willing to accept the ruling party's request for a special investigation.

"About 2,200 of the 2,619 cases of civilian surveillance, which were already submitted by prosecutors to the court, were conducted during the Roh Moo-hyun administration," said Choe Guem-nak, senior presidential press secretary.

According to the opposition party and KBS employees, the documents showed that the team, which is tasked with ensuring public officials are not involved in corruption, recklessly collected information on not only government officials, but also civilians considered critical of the government, such as labor union leaders and reporters at unfriendly media firms.

"The case is a criminal act that infringes on human rights and destroys democracy," Lee sang-il, a spokesman for the Saenuri Party, said in a news conference. "Prosecutors' past investigation results fell short of clearing all suspicions surrounding the case, so we demand the launch of a special probe into the case."

The Prime Minister's Office dismissed the disclosed documents as nothing new, saying they were part of evidence prosecutors seized, reviewed and turned in to the court when they first investigated the case in 2010.

The office said in a statement the ethics team has since changed its name and undergone a thorough overhaul, and that the reformed team has been carrying out its missions strictly according to the law.

The new revelations, however, added to an already snowballing scandal surrounding the government's illegal surveillance of a businessman critical of President Lee and the presidential office's alleged attempt to cover that up.

The politically sensitive case, which could affect the results of the April 11 parliamentary elections, re-emerged early this month after prosecutors relaunched an investigation into allegations first made in 2010.

Earlier this month, prosecutors reopened an investigation into the surveillance scandal after one of the officials involved claimed the presidential office attempted to cover up the illegal operation.

Following the previous investigation, seven officials were indicted for the illegal surveillance of the businessman, who in

2008 posted a video clip criticizing the Lee government for resuming U.S. beef imports. The 2010 investigation concluded the presidential office was not involved. (Yonhap News)



여야, 민간인 불법사찰 의혹 특검 이견



새누리당이 31일 국무총리실 민간인  불 법사찰 의혹에 대해 특검을 도입할 것을 제안했으나 민주통합당이 "특검은 시간끌기 용 꼼수"라고 일축하며 특별수사본부 설치를 주장했다.

새누리당 중앙선대위 이상일 대변인은 31일 선대위 긴급 회의 후 브리핑에서 "2 년 전 드러났던 이 사건에 대해 검찰 수사가 대단히 미흡했고 그때의 잘못된 검찰 수사를 지금 검찰이 다시 수사하고 있다"며 "검찰 수사에 대한 신뢰가 떨어진  상황 이기 때문에 당장 특검을 실시하자는 입장을 밝힌다"고 말했다.

이 대변인은 불법사찰 의혹 당시 청와대 민정수석이었던 권 법무장관의 지휘 하 에 현재 검찰 수사가 이뤄지고 있다면서 "국민은 과연 지금 검찰 수사를 신뢰할 수 있겠느냐, 과연 검찰이 제대로 수사할 수 있겠느냐 의문을 갖고 있다"고 말했다.

이에 대해 민주당은 "특검을 실시하기 위해서는 2개월 이상이 걸린다.  (새누리

당의) 특검 제의는 시간을 끌기 위한 꼼수"라며 "지금 당장은 특별수사본부를  설치 해 진실을 규명해야 한다"고 맞섰다.

박선숙 선거대책본부장은 "민주당의 입장은 1번은 권재진 당시 민정수석을 내보 내고 특별수사본부를 설치하라는 것이고, 2번은 국정조사와 청문회를 실시하라는 것 이며, 3번은 특검 제안은 시간끌기용이라는 것"라고 설명했다.

새누리당 황우여 원내대표와 민주당 김진표 원내대표도 이날 오전 전화통화를 갖고 특검 문제를 논의했으나 양 측의 입장차만 확인한 것으로 알려졌다.

이 과정에서 민주당은 오전에는 박용진 대변인 브리핑을 통해 "`청와대 하명 불 법사찰 사건'에 대한 특검은 당연히 도입돼야 할 사안"이라고 수용 의사를 밝혔다가 오후 들어 "특검에 합의해줄 수 없다"(박선숙 선대본부장)며 수용 불가쪽으로  입장 을 번복하는 등 내부 혼선을 빚기도 했다.

민간인 불법사찰 의혹이 4ㆍ11 총선의 최대 쟁점으로 부각하면서 여야는 주도권 을 잡기 위한 치열한 정치공방을 이어갈 것으로 전망된다.

특히 새누리당은 불법사찰 의혹 당시 청와대 민정수석이었던 권재진 법무장관의 해임을 요구하고 있지만, 민주당은 권 장관은 물론 지휘라인에 있던 당시 노환균 서울중앙지검장(현 법무연수원장), 신경식 서울중앙지검1차장 등의 해임까지 요구하고 있다.

한편, 청와대 최금락 홍보수석은 "청와대는 이와 관련된 모든 사안에 대해 현재 진행되고 있는 검찰 수사를 통해 진상이 명확하게 규명되기를 희망하며, 정치권에서 제기하면 특검도 받을 용의가 있다"고 밝혔다.

최 수석은 권 법무장관의 사퇴 요구에 대해서는 "수사 결과 책임질 일이 있으면, 지위 고하를 막론하고 책임질 것"이라고 말했다.


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