Prosecutors deny claims of late Roh's false-name account

By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors on Monday flatly dismissed the police
chief nominee's controversial remarks that the discovery of a borrowed-name
account led to the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun.
Cho Hyun-oh, nominee for the commissioner of the National Police Agency, has come
under fire for insisting in March that Roh's suicide in 2009 was related to the
discovery of his borrowed-name bank account.
The remarks by Cho, the incumbent chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency,
were belatedly disclosed by a public broadcaster last week, triggering a shock
wave across political circles and prodding the main opposition Democratic Party
to demand his resignation from the nominee status.
"Nominee Cho's remarks are groundless," Hong Man-pyo, a senior prosecutor at the
Supreme Prosecutors' Office, said. Hong was in charge of last year's high-profile
investigation into allegations of corruption involving Roh and his family.
"Cho was not even in a position to be informed of the probe into Roh at that
time," said Hong.
Roh, who served as president from 2003 to 2008, jumped off a cliff to his death
near his retirement home in southern South Korea in May last year after being
hounded for weeks over links to a corruption scandal involving his family and
close aides.
Meanwhile, Cho has also come under attack from the bereaved families of the 46
sailors of the South Korean warship Cheonan that sank in the Yellow Sea in March
after a North Korean torpedo attack.
In the same taped speech given in front of rank-and-file police officers in
March, Cho criticized the ill-fated Cheonan sailors' families for "wailing like
animals" and displaying violent anger in front of TV cameras.
Cho said the local media should not have reported the footage as it portrays the
nation's mourning culture in a bad light.
The bereaved families immediately demanded his resignation from all public
offices for the remarks, while Roh's close aides said they are considering libel
and criminal suits against Cho for spreading false information.
The confirmation hearing for Cho will be held for two days from Aug. 24 along
with other nominees for Cabinet minister posts and the prime minister.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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