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Moon Jae-in (Yonhap News) |
Prosecutors have summoned Moon Jae-in, former presidential candidate of the opposition Democratic Party, for questioning as their investigation into the missing 2007 inter-Korean summit transcript nears conclusion.
According to the prosecution, Moon was told to appear for questioning as soon as possible. Moon is said to have informed the prosecution that he would answer the summons, and the two sides are now working out the date.
Moon was chief of staff to late President Roh Moo-hyun, and has been pointed to as being key to the case.
The transcript of the summit became a hot political issue last year when ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers accused Roh of conceding the Northern Limit Line ― the de facto inter-Korean maritime border in the West Sea ― to the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
The transcript was subsequently found to be absent from the National Archives, prompting the prosecution to launch an investigation.
A copy of the transcript, however, was shown to be held by the National Intelligence Service, while another was recovered from the data storage system at Roh’s retirement home in Bongha, South Gyeongsang Province.
The DP is responding to the news by upping the criticism of the prosecution, calling the move biased and apparently part of a political scheme.
DP floor leader Rep. Jun Byung-hun berated the prosecution, saying that the timing of the move was suspicious as it coincided with President Park Geun-hye’s trip to Europe and the parliamentary audit of the NIS. He added that the main issue in the case is the fact that the transcript was not transferred to the National Archives, and that Moon has said that he will subject himself to questioning.
“What is more important is the fact that it was illegally disclosed and used in the presidential election. The investigation regarding this, however, is not moving forward at all,” Jun said. He went on to say that the Saenuri Party’s Rep. Kim Moo-sung and Korean Ambassador to China Kwon Young-se do not appear to have been investigated.
“This is also a very serious matter, and the DP cannot but say that it is a biased and political investigation.”
Kim and Kwon played a key part in the president’s election campaign, and are accused of having had access to the transcript in the run up to the Dec. 19 election.
By Choi He-suk
(
cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)
