Opposition lawmaker Kwon Eun-hee turned into a defendant

Opposition lawmaker Kwon Eun-hee turned into a defendant. August. 21, 2015 07:15. jinnyong@donga.com.

An opposition lawmaker claimed Thursday that "innocence declared for the ruling, guilt found for the opposition," based on a saying that "innocence declared for the rich, guilt found for the poor." It means that the court discriminates the ruling and the opposition when reaching a verdict. The sarcastic comment is about Rep. Kwon Eun-hee who was charged without detention for alleged perjury in the trial of Kim Yong-pan, the then-chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, in regards to the allegation of the National Intelligence Service (NIS)’s meddling in the 2012 presidential election. It is up to one’s freedom to coin a word. But it is necessary to think about whether the meaning is appropriate.

Indictment and trial of Kim was solely based on exposure by Kwon who was a police officer on the Suseo Police Station team that investigated the NIS’ allegation. At the center of Kwon’s whistle-blowing was the claim that Kim exerted pressure on Kwon not to request a search warrant to investigate the room of an NIS female officer. Kim was indicted on charges of violating the Police Officers Act, abusing his authority to influence the police investigation and violating the Public Official Election Act. However, all the courts up to the Supreme Court have acquitted Kim of all three charges.

The Supreme Court said that Kwon’s court testimony was not credible enough to exclude testimonies of others (police officers) or objective facts and to rule out reasonable suspicions on the criminal facts subject to judgment on the defendant. Of course, the acquittal of Kim does not make Kwon guilty to charges of perjury. However, if one who stood trial due to another’s disclosure was acquitted of all charges, it seems necessary to hold the person who blew the whistle liable for the case. There is no reason for political interpretation to be in the matter that the judiciary makes strict judgment.

In addition, Kwon earned a lot thanks to the whistle-blowing. Not to mention the praise of "apostle of justice" from the opposition, she went on a fast track to become a lawmaker. The public has a right to know whether it is a reward that she deserves or an achievement built on fallacy and exaggeration. The former Seoul police chief is planning to run for the general elections next year. Attention is being paid to whether Kim and Kwon will confront again in the election.