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| Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum, left, and Justice Minister Park Sang-ki speak during a briefing in Seoul, Tuesday. /Yonhap |
By Bahk Eun-ji
Two sex-related scandals are re-emerging and expanding to allegations of abuse of power, after new findings imply the investigations into the cases were interfered with by people in power who had links to law enforcement.
One case which surfaced in 2013 alleged that former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui received "sexual services" paid for by a construction company chief in exchange for business favors in 2009. The other involved the 2009 suicide of actress Jang Ja-yeon who alleged she was coerced into having sex with business and media heavyweights.
A "truth panel" under the Supreme Prosecutors' Office was launched in February last year to investigate the two cases, but produced little in the way of results even though its investigations were extended three times. However, with the latest extension nearing an end, new suspicions regarding power abuse have emerged amid a growing public groundswell for the truth to be told.
President Moon Jae-in also called for an extensive investigation Monday, saying, "We would not be able to say we are living in a just society if we fail to find the truth about cases involving the privileged few."
Following this, the Ministry of Justice extended the investigations for two more months through May.
"The cases of Jang and Kim involved the privileged class of society, and caused public anger with people alleging that the law enforcement authorities seem to have not properly investigated them, and even attempted to cover up the truth," Justice Minister Park Sang-ki said in a briefing.
"We'll try to find the truth during the extended probe period, and will investigate new findings if found."
In 2013, then-Vice Justice Minister Kim was accused of being offered sexual services in return for providing favors to construction company chief Yoon Jung-cheon in 2009. It was alleged that not only Kim but also many more high-profile figures, including ranking government officials, received sexual services at Yoon's vacation home.
The prosecution at the time obtained video clips of sex parties allegedly taken at the vacation home, in which a man who appeared to be Kim and others raped a woman.
But the prosecution cleared him of the charges at the time, citing a lack of evidence. In 2014, a woman who claimed to be in the video clip said she was raped while she was drugged, but the prosecution again threw the case out, calling the woman's testimony unreliable.
Korean National Police Agency Commissioner General Min Gap-ryong said in a National Assembly session Thursday that Kim's face was recognizable on the videos, raising suspicions that the prosecution had deliberately conducted a "poor investigation" at the time to cover up irregularities in the vice minster's story.
Kim may not be punished if only the sexual bribery is acknowledged, because the statute of limitations of seven years has passed. But if the rape and narcotic use accusations are applied, the statute of limitation is 15 years, meaning he could face jail time.
In Jang's case, the rookie actress took her own life in 2009, leaving behind a handwritten note accusing her entertainment agency of sexually exploiting her. In the note, she listed 40 high-profile figures she was forced to have sex with, including journalists, a media tycoon, TV drama producers, politicians and high-profile businesspeople.
But the prosecution only charged the manager of Jang's agency without detention after a month-long investigation.
Jang's case recently re-emerged after her colleague, actress Yoon Ji-oh, who was a key witness in Jang's sex abuse case, claimed the prosecution's investigation was sloppy and the perpetrators were not punished. An online petition at Cheong Wa Dae's website calling for a thorough investigation into Jang's case gained more than 640,000 signatures in six days.
