Opposition: "Number Owner, Key Person in External Pressure"
Presidential Office: "No Number Leak... North Korea Also Watching"
Jung Jin-seok, Chief of Staff to the President (left), is talking with Jang Ho-jin, Director of the National Security Office, at the full meeting of the Steering Committee held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 1st. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 1st, a heated debate took place during the National Assembly Steering Committee's inquiry into current issues at the Presidential Office regarding the 'Chae Sang-byeong investigation interference suspicion' case. The opposition party demanded that the Presidential Office reveal who instructed then-Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop via the phone number '02-800-7070' to exert pressure, while the Presidential Office countered by stating, "The Presidential Office phone number is confidential information."
On the same day, Rep. Chu Mi-ae of the Democratic Party of Korea requested at the first full meeting of the National Assembly Steering Committee, prior to the inquiry, "Chairman Park Chan-dae, please immediately request who is the user of the 02-800-7070 number known as the Presidential Office landline."
The opposition suspects that on July 31 last year, the Presidential Office called then-Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop using the landline number 02-800-7070 to instruct interference. After the call, Minister Lee contacted Marine Corps Commander Kim Gye-hwan and ordered him to retrieve investigation records, among other directives, which are believed to reflect the Presidential Office's intentions.
Democratic Party Rep. Ko Min-jung raised suspicion, saying, "After the call was made to that number, things proceeded swiftly. Isn't that strange?"
Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, responded, "I don't know who called whom, but from the President's perspective, if something arises, he frequently calls staff members." When Rep. Ko asked, "Then could the President have called that number?" Kim replied, "I don't think that day's schedule is related to this."
Regarding the '02-800-7070' number, Chief Secretary Jeong Jin-seok and National Security Office Director Jang Ho-jin each denied that the number belongs to the Secretariat or the Security Office. However, they did not disclose the owner of the number, citing confidentiality.
Chief Secretary Jeong stated, "To my knowledge, it is taboo to leak the Presidential Office's phone number externally." He also explained, "North Korea is likely watching this meeting in real time."
However, Rep. Cheon Ha-ram of the Reform New Party pointed out, "During the recess, I searched through the business card management service and found that the Presidential Office phone number is openly available," adding, "If the Presidential Office number is confidential as stated, it means the staff have been spreading confidential information everywhere."
He further argued, "It's absurd that the Presidential Office phone number is considered entirely confidential when the staff are not even National Intelligence Service employees," and demanded, "Please immediately verify whose number it is and respond."
Democratic Party Rep. Lee So-young also pointed out, "The person who called this number is highly likely the key figure pressuring to exclude Im Seong-geun, Commander of the 1st Marine Division, from the investigation," adding, "It is difficult to let this pass without revealing who used this number, where, and when."
She continued, "If it is difficult to submit the owner due to security reasons, please bring a table of Presidential Office phone numbers so that one person designated by both ruling and opposition parties can verify it."
In response, Chief Secretary Jeong maintained the position that "disclosing all Presidential Office phone numbers is beyond our authority."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
