[Editorial] Hong Must Return and Tell All

It has been revealed that former Joongang Ilbo president Hong Seok Hyun had himself a little "delivery accident" with W3 billion of the presidential campaign donations Samsung gave out in 1997. The plot just can't get any thicker. It's an ugly affair that shows you once again the truth behind the saying that when it comes to money there is no sense of loyalty and humanity even between family relatives. You wonder what the folks at Samsung are thinking right now, having been taken for a ride by Hong, who they'd trusted so strongly.

The importance of the whole affair, however, goes far beyond family betrayal. It is concrete evidence that supports what was learned in the so-called "X File" about Hong playing the role of Samsung's bank teller for the politicians. Prosecutors now have themselves an important clue in the ongoing "X File" investigation.

The case hurts international confidence in Korea and is an embarrassment. Hong is still ambassador to the United States, and you get red in the face just thinking of how the international community must be looking at Korea's ambassador for swiping up the money as it passed his hands as middle-man. All keeping him around until a replacement is found does is invite even greater international embarrassment. Hong should return to Seoul immediately, tell the truth of what transpired, and submit to prosecution questioning.

The prosecution deserves to be criticized for evading the issue since it happened upon evidence of what had occurred back when it investigated Hong and his tax evasion at the Bogwang Group. Had prosecutors uncovered the details about where a certain W3 billion had come from, how much Hong had received, how much was passed on to men in politics, and how much he'd kept for himself, then much about the collusive relationship between government, business, and the media would've been revealed back there and then. Instead prosecutors just ignored the issue because embezzlement between relatives requires that the relative concerned file a complaint in order for the crime to be prosecutable. Though it would be late in coming, prosecutors need to make sure that from now on there is no negligence on their part in clarifying the truth behind the affair.

The Hankyoreh, 13 September 2005.

[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]