hankyoreh

Flowers fill the hall outside the wake of the chief of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's anti-corruption bureau, who oversaw the investigation into graft allegations against first lady Kim Keon-hee, in Sejong’s Shillakwon funeral home at the Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital. (Kim Chae-woon/Hankyoreh)

Two days before his death on Thursday, a 51-year-old bureau director at the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) surnamed Kim had a conversation with prominent whistleblower and anti-corruption activist Lee Ji-moon, during which he reportedly expressed anguish over the commission’s misguided handling of allegations of graft concerning first lady Kim Keon-hee’s acceptance of a luxury handbag as a gift.

Lee described Kim as having “a troubled conscience over the decision,” adding that he had handled the case in that manner because of “pressure” from above.

What was it that drove this official to his death? There will need to be a thorough investigation and drastic improvements to the ACRC system. Only that way will Kim’s anguished death not have been in vain.

Kim delivered an opinion recommending the case’s referral to an investigative organization, but the ACRC leadership — including Vice Chairperson Chung Seung-yun — pressured him to close it instead. Not only that, but as the person overseeing administrative duties relating to the case, he had to endure the indignity of appearing at a National Assembly National Policy Committee hearing and simply repeating over and over that he was “not able to respond.”

It’s hard to even imagine what sort of psychological agony and mortification he endured not only being unable to prevent a decision that went against his conscience, but also then having to defend his superiors.

Kim was an expert in anti-corruption activities, having earned a master’s degree in corruption prevention in the UK and a recent doctorate in administration. As someone who had worked for the ACRC for 20 years, how must it have felt to him to have to watch everything collapse in an instant?

Members of Peoples Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, who filed a complaint against the first couple and pastor Choi Jae-young for graft, protest the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's decision to wrap up the case of the first lady’s acceptance of the Dior handbag without seeking charges on June 11, 2024. (Kang Chang-kwang/Hankyoreh)

The ones bearing the biggest responsibility for his death are Jeong and ACRC Chairperson Ryu Chul-whan. They should reflect sincerely and apologize to Kim, and they should also take responsibility and step now. It is not human to simply try to paper over things under such circumstances.

The opposition parties are currently calling for an investigation through hearings or a special prosecutor. In response, the ruling People Power Party has condemned them, insisting that they should “not regard an unfortunate death as a tool for politicking.” Is the unfortunate nature of that death something that will be mitigated by doing nothing?

In addition to an investigation, there also need to be institutional changes to guarantee the ACRC’s political neutrality and ensure no further issues like this one happen again.

The current ACRC chairperson is a Seoul National University law school classmate of Yoon’s. The vice chairperson is a fellow SNU graduate, and the previous chairperson was one of Yoon’s seniors among the prosecutors. All three of them worked in Yoon’s election camp.

How can political neutrality be expected from such figures? This certainly goes some way toward explaining the far-fetched logic that was cited in the handbag case.

Lee Ji-moon stressed the need to “amend the law so that at least the [ACRC] chairperson and vice chairperson are people who are capable of observing neutrality.” That’s the least that could be done to see to it that Kim’s death was not completely in vain.

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