The prosecution's investigation into illegal eavesdropping by the National Security Planning Agency is concentrating exclusively on the process through which the eavesdropping took place and how the recordings were leaked. The issue of what is actually on the recordings is being pushed to the side. They say there is a certain order to an investigation, but the feeling you get is that it is overly tilted in one direction. There is plenty of time to figure out how the media came to report on the recordings, making it even harder to have confidence in the move to go after that aspect first.
The context of the illegal eavesdropping must be investigated in full detail. A state intelligence agency used the country's money to engage in illegal activities for those with power, and so the truth should be ascertained and those responsible should rightly be made to bear responsibility. However, there is urgency in investigating how the media came across the recordings and reported the content of one of them. Such is the case, and still prosecutors tell the Munhwa Broadcasting (MBC) reporter to appear at the prosecution "as a witness though his status could change" and hint at the possibility of criminal punishment. Who will be convinced of the legitimacy of the prosecution's actions investigators ignore the bigtime thief the reporter exposed and instead takes issue with his coverage of the story?
The conversation between a high-ranking Samsung executive and the head of a newspaper shows you that they manipulated this country's democracy at its roots. That issue is a massive one even if were what the prosecution is concentrating on. A former director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) internal investigation division says the contents of the tapes are horrifying. That suggests there is a lot of evidence of illegal activity on them. It is exactly what the prosecution's investigation should be focusing on. Doing so would contribute to setting the framework of this country right.
They say illegal recordings cannot be used as evidence in court. That is a matter of course. But finding the truth is a separate issue. Of the greatest priority is finding out how much of what is on the tapes is fact. Figuring that out will allow officials to determine whether the media reports were appropriate. The prosecution should not have to be suspected of trying to use the tapes it has in its hands as means to increase its own power.
The Hankyoreh, 2 August 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] What's So Urgent about Investigating Media Reports? |
