The Yoon Sang Rim case is becoming strangely complicated. The questions are growing rapidly, yet nothing about "illegal lobbying" has been exposed. In the meantime an aide to deputy police commissioner Choi Kwang Sik has taken his life, something that is leading to even deeper discord between the police and the prosecution.
What we would first like to note that it is inappropriate for the police to link the aide's suicide to the issue of whether the police should have more investigative authority separate from the prosecution and to claim the aide died because of the prosecution's "target investigation." We understand that the police are profoundly angry, but one worries that their emotional reaction will confuse the issue. The right approach would be to first figure out exactly why he committed suicide.
The reason he made the choice he did does not makes sense, given the circumstances. His suicide note indicates that he easily could have proved his innocence once questioned by the prosecution. That is why one wonders if maybe there was some other secret he sought to keep hidden by taking his life.
While unfortunate, his suicide must not disrupt the prosecution's investigation. Indeed, it actually has to pick up speed so as to deal with the growing suspicions. Prosecutors also need to make the effort to deal with the question about whether there is a "target investigation." Yoon's suspicious financial dealings were not limited to police leaders; they involved politicians, judges, and lawyers who were once prosecutors. The prosecution needs to focus its investigation on those powerful figures as well. It needs to make progress, even if that means assigning more investigators to the case. We call on the prosecution to exert themselves.
The Hankyoreh, 23 January 2006.
[Translations by Seoul Selection]
[Editorial] Progress Needed in Yoon Sang Rim Investigation |
