The contents an illegal eavesdropping tape has been made public, and they reveal that every holiday Samsung gave "tteok money" to certain prosecutors. Let's get one thing clear: that kind of cash shouldn't be called "tteok money." The gifts were clearly bribes. And has not the prosecution been so strict as to be called harsh when it comes to the crime of bribery when it involves other people? Certain prosecutors were on the take, and therefore their crimes were all the more serious.
The prosecution has long been criticized for getting weak-kneed when it comes to Samsung. It turns out there was a hidden reason. The prosecution has always been vocal about the need for to maintain independence from politics, but all the while it has been anything but independent from Samsung, another massive form of power. The two forces in our society that are so powerful you hear expressions like "The Republic of Samsung" and "The Prosecutorial Republic" were in tight collusion, so Samsung had nothing to fear.
The best part of the recording is when you get to the party where one of the men says bribes should be given to the "most junior" of prosecutors, the "kids who don't know our names." Younger prosecutors were "kids" who could be properly trained with a little money along the way. It's a shame and an embarrassment that prosecutors – people who have taken pride in being some of the most elite in our society – were throwing their pride to the wayside, kowtowing before a jaebeol as they took the money it chucked at them.
The problem is that in dealing with this case the prosecution has once again abandoned any sense of pride. The right way to go about restoring its honor would be to thoroughly clarify the truth and punish those who accepted bribes. Instead, prosecutors are hurriedly searching for a way out of the situation, avoiding even a preliminary inquiry despite knowing what is described in the recordings. Naturally there's no way there is going to be the proper kind of investigation into suspicions Samsung engaged in illegal "lobbying." It would never be too late for the prosecution to boldly cut away at the parts of it that are diseased.
The Hankyoreh, 19 August 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] The Prosecution Has No Pride |
