채동욱 전 검찰총장의 혼외 아들 의혹 관련 개인정보의 불법유출 의혹을 받는 조이제 서울 서초구청 행정지원국장이 3일 자신의 입장을 발표하고 구청을 나서자 구청 직원이 얼굴을 가려주고 있다. (연합뉴스)
민주당은 4일 채동욱 전 검찰총장의 혼외자 논란에 휩싸였던 채모군 인적사항의 불법열람을 요청한 청와대 행정관 조모씨가 직위 해제된 데 대해 "청와대의 채 전 총장 찍어내기가 확인됐다"며 "철저한 수사를 통해 전모를 밝혀야 한다"고 촉구했다.
김관영 수석대변인은 구두논평을 통해 "직위해제는 청와대가 이번 일에 연루됐음을 보여주는 상징적 사건"이라며 이같이 말했다.
이어 "이번 직위해제가 '꼬리자르기식'이 돼서는 안될 것"이라며 "수사가 불완전하게 이뤄진다면 국민들의 공분을 살 뿐 아니라 또다른 특검의 대상이 될 것"이라 고 강조했다.
박용진 대변인은 국회 브리핑에서 "개인적인 일탈행위로 일을 몰고가서는 안된 다"며 "특히 조 행정관을 두둔하고 사건을 은폐•축소하려 한 김기춘 비서실장의 책 임을 물어야 한다"고 주장했다.
박 대변인은 "청와대가 김 비서실장을 문책하는 등 단호한 태도를 보이지 않는다면, 사태가 일파만파로 커질 것"이라고 경고했다.
국회 법제사법위원회 민주당 간사인 이춘석 의원은 "이번 사태를 보면 국정원 대선개입 사건에서도 외압이 없었다고 단정할 수 없다"며 "민주당이 주장하는 특검 도입의 필요성과 설득력이 높아졌다"고 강조했다.
민주당 전병헌 원내대표는 이날 오전 국회에서 열린 의원총회에서 "채 전 총장 찍어내기는 청와대의 공작정치"라며 "특검의 조건과 대상이 또 늘어난 것"이라고 말 했다.
전 원내대표는 "특검의 대상과 조건이 계속 늘어나기 때문에, 특검에 대한 국민 의 지지는 계속 늘어날 것"이라며 "반드시 특검을 관철해 내겠다"고 덧붙였다.
박지원 전 원내대표 역시 트위터에 "채동욱 신상정보 개입 확인 돼 직위해제! 채동욱 찍어내기 청와대 작품 확인!"이라는 글을 남겼다.
<관련 영문 기사>
Presidential office confirms official involved in love child scandal leak
By Choi He-suk
The presidential office confirmed Wednesday that a mid-level official was involved in the leak of personal information concerning a child suspected to be the illegitimate son of former Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook. The official, identified by his surname Cho, has been removed from his post and has been put up for disciplinary board review.
According to the findings of the presidential office and the prosecution, Cho requested that Cho E-jae, an official at Seocho-gu District Office in southern Seoul, track down the boy’s family registration file on June 11, about three months before the scandal broke out.
The presidential office also said that Cho was acting on behalf of an official at the Ministry of Security and Public Administration identified as Kim. Cheong Wa Dae denied that any other official was involved in the development.
“So far, this is all there is, and it has been confirmed that no other Cheong Wa Dae official made any requests to Cho,” Lee Jung-hyun, senior presidential public relations secretary, said.
“What is clear is that unlike the allegations raised by some, this is Cho’s personal deviant action.”
In earlier questioning, Cho E-jae claimed that he was given the boy’s name, national identification number and home address through mobile texts sent by the official at Cheong Wa Dae. He also claimed that he did not know why the information was required, but complied with the request thinking that it was a personal matter.
The prosecution investigating the case is currently analyzing mobile phones submitted by Cho. The investigators, who summoned Cho E-jae late last month, plan to question the Cheong Wa Dae official once the analysis of the mobile devices is finished.
In September, Chae became embroiled in a scandal in which he was alleged to have fathered a son through an extramarital affair.
He denied the allegations, but resigned in September. The developments became one of the hottest political issues at the time with the opposition bloc raising suspicions that the government had engineered his removal for pursuing the investigation into the alleged state tampering in last year’s presidential race.
Wednesday’s development rekindled the main opposition Democratic Party’s attack.
“(Cho’s) removal is a symbolic case that shows that Cheong Wa Dae is involved,” Democratic Party spokesman Rep. Kim Kwan-young said.
“If an incomplete investigation is carried out, it will not only incur the wrath of the people but also become the subject of another special counsel investigation.”
(
cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)
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