Prosecution says it has evidence of Blue House role in Chae scandal

The prosecution has reportedly found circumstantial evidence indicating that Cheong Wa Dae may have played a behind-the-scenes part in pressuring the former prosecutor general to resign over a suspected extramarital affair and love child, according to reports quoting officials Monday.

According to officials at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, the prosecution has secured testimony from a municipal officer that he was requested by senior administrative staff at the presidential office to search for personal information of a boy suspected to have been born out of wedlock and fathered by ex-prosecution chief Chae Dong-wook.

Cho E-jae, an official at Seocho-gu Office in southern Seoul, has reportedly told the prosecution that the Cheong Wa Dae official asked him to track down the boy’s family registration file on June 11, about three months before the scandal broke out in September. He was given the boy’s name, national identification number and home address through mobile texts sent by the official at Cheong Wa Dae.

The prosecution said it is checking the facts, but would consider summoning the Cheong Wa Dae official if it secures solid evidence. The official, identified by his surname Cho, has reportedly denied the allegation.

The prosecution is investigating how the administrative staff at Cheong Wa Dae allegedly obtained the boy’s personal information and who made the official request for further information on him.

The main opposition Democratic Party lashed out at Cheong Wa Dae.

“The administrative official is an immediate subordinate of Lee Jae-man, the presidential administrative secretary, one of three close aides to President Park Geun-hye,” said DP spokesman Kim Kwan-young.

“The suspicions are deepening that the (allegations of the) forced resignation (of Chae) have been orchestrated by Cheong Wa Dae, of Cheong Wa Dae and for Cheong Wa Dae,” he said.

Other DP lawmakers at the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee also argued that the prosecution has to summon Kwak Sang-do, former presidential senior secretary for civil affairs, and Lee Jae-man, incumbent presidential administrative secretary, to figure out who has masterminded the alleged plot.

Chae offered to resign from his post a week after a report on him having a son through an extramarital affair was published by the Chosun Ilbo, one of the major South Korean dailies, in early September.

The DP has been claiming that Cheong Wa Dae and the National Intelligence Service may be pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Chae had spearheaded the investigation into the spy agency’s alleged interference in last year’s presidential election since he took office in April.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)