Special probe sets sights on South Gyeongsang governor

South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo will be summoned for questioning as a suspect in a probe into a public opinion-rigging scandal, the independent counsel said Wednesday. 

Kim Kyoung-soo, a close associate of President Moon Jae-in, was questioned in an earlier police investigation as a witness.

The scandal centers on allegations the main suspect, Kim Dong-won, also known by the penname Druking, used illegal software to increase exposure of certain comments in selected news stories.

Kim Dong-won claims that he and his associates conducted the campaign with Kim Kyoung-soo’s approval.

According to reports citing unnamed special counsel sources, the investigators now consider the governor to be Kim Dong-won’s accomplice in alleged wrongdoings, based on eyewitness accounts.

A number of members of an organization led by Kim Dong-won are said to have testified that Kim Kyoung-soo was present at a demonstration of the software used in the scheme.

Investigators are also said to have secured a digital log of communications between the two Kims.

On Monday, investigators attempted to search Kim Kyoung-soo’s residence in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, but the courts rejected the warrant application.

The South Gyeongsang Province governor continued to deny all allegations, and said that he has not been contacted by the special counsel.

Kim Kyoung-soo told reporters earlier in the day that he will “resolve doubts the residents of the province may have,” when he is questioned by the investigators.

The governor also accused the media of biased reporting, saying allegations he had put to rest in an earlier police investigation are being repeated in news reports.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)