(EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on April 13)

Impartial probes

Few government agencies are as powerful as the National Tax Service, which is
capable of making or breaking a business. In addition to doing the usual job of
assessing and collecting taxes, it is empowered to launch a tax audit on any
corporation on the merest suspicion of underreporting income.

As such, the post of commissioner is one of the most coveted. However, it has
been left vacant for the past three months, and the unusually long selection
process is spawning wild speculations, including one that few candidates are
untainted.
Further fueling the guesswork, news reports say that Han Sang-ryule, a former
commissioner, was the target of lobbying by Park Yeon-cha, the businessman
suspected of giving former President Roh Moo-hyun and his family members tens of
billions of won in bribes. Han left for the United States when the investigation
into the bribery scandal started to make great progress last month.
Park allegedly paid 200 million won to Choo Bu-gil, a former senior secretary to
President Lee Myung-bak, when he asked him to launch a lobby against the tax
audit on his business enterprise. Choo reportedly contacted those close to the
incumbent president for the job, including the then-senior presidential secretary
for civil affairs and Chun Shin-il, chairman of the tour company Sejoong Namo.
Prosecutors recently banned Chun, one of President Lee Myeong-bak's longtime
friends, from leaving the country. The travel ban gave the impression of an
impending criminal investigation into Choo's lobbying, but prosecutors have since
taken few steps forward, calling into question their determination to delve into
the case.
Prosecutors should be as committed to enforcing the law when dealing with those
close to the incumbent president as they are with the former president, his
family and his confidants. Anything short of that will undermine their
impartiality.
(END)