[Newsmaker] Opposition lawmaker’s office raided for state budget information leak

A senior lawmaker of the main opposition party faced seizure over charges of accessing and leaking confidential government data on the state budget, prosecutorial officials said Friday.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office seized and searched the office of Rep. Shim Jae-cheol, a fifth-term lawmaker of the conservative Liberty Korea Party, whose aides are suspected of leaking information from the government’s digital budget accounting system.

“Please gather immediately at Rep. Shim’s office where a prosecutorial seizure is under progress,” floor leader Rep. Kim Sung-tae said in a text message sent out to party members.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance on Monday pressed charges against the lawmaker for breach of the communications network act and the electronic government act. Rep. Shim made a countercharge, accusing Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon and Korea Public Finance Information Center chief Kim Jae-hoon of false charges.

“The (corresponding data) was revealed due to an error in dBrain, the government’s digital budget accounting system, but the ministry and the KPFIC are shifting the blame to us,” said Rep. Shim, with a set of documents he says back his claim.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)