As a former acting director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Kim, a senior official of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, was found dead at home on the 8th. Lee Ji-moon (56), chairman of the Korea Integrity Movement Headquarters, revealed on the 11th that former director Kim had said in a phone call with him in June, “I have different thoughts, but I feel sorry that they pushed me (from above) to make that decision.”
In a phone call with the Dong-A Ilbo, Chairman Lee said, “It is being reported that former Director Kim took his life because of the hardships of work, but I don’t think that’s true, so I released the contents of the phone call on Facebook.” Chairman Lee claims that former Director Kim had different ideas from his “higher-ups” who wanted to close the controversy over Mrs. Kim Gun-hee’s Dior bag acceptance. Former Director Kim has been working as acting director since the previous director was promoted to chief of staff in March of this year.
Chairman Lee stated that he received a call from former Director Kim at 8:45 PM on June 27 and spoke with him for about 10 minutes. This was 17 days after the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission concluded its investigation into the report that Ms. Kim had received a Dior bag from Choi Jae-young. He also said that they had a conversation via KakaoTalk messenger on the 6th, two days before former Director Kim passed away. He said that he wrote a column titled, “We need to create a code of conduct that applies to members of the National Assembly” and sent it to former Director Kim. At the time, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission had already closed the case of former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung and others regarding the “allegations of preferential helicopter transport” on the grounds that “members of the National Assembly are not subject to the code of conduct.” Chairman Lee explained that at the time, former Director Kim responded, “I feel sorry for disappointing you.”
According to Chairman Lee, former Director Kim attended a discussion he hosted when he was a research professor at Yonsei University about 10 years ago, and the two have maintained a close relationship since then. The Korea Integrity Movement Headquarters, where Chairman Lee is based, is registered with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission as a professional organization supporting public interest reporting. Chairman Lee said, “I hope that laying the groundwork for securing the political independence of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission will be the beginning of making (Director Kim’s) death not in vain.”
An official from the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said in a phone call with the Dong-A Ilbo on the same day, “Director Kim has had a hard time dealing with the recent Dior bag bribery controversy, the suspicion of preferential treatment in helicopter transport, and the suspicion of a petition by Korea Communications Standards Commission Chairperson Ryu Hee-rim.” He also expressed stress over criticism from the media and the National Assembly that the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission is shirking its responsibility to prevent corruption.
The Democratic Party and other opposition parties claimed on this day that “the high-ranking official of the Commission on the Rights of Persons with Interests is a victim of abuse of power, and his death is a political murder and an assassination by power.” On the other hand, the People Power Party responded by saying, “They are turning a regrettable death into a political dispute. The deceased directed the investigation not only into the case of Mrs. Kim, but also into the case of former Representative Lee’s use of the emergency helicopter.”
Reporter Kodo Yea [email protected]
Reporter Seungwoo Lee [email protected]
Reporter Choi Hye-ryeong [email protected]
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2024-08-11 20:27:44