Book Indicates NTS Heads Changed for Media Probe

The recently released book by Hankyoreh political reporter Seong Han-yong shows how the government and ruling party fixed the leadership of the National Tax Service, in advance, to facilitate an investigation targeting critical newspapers. The book contains a dialogue at a restaurant between the reporter and a core member of the Millennium Democratic Party, who averred that the NTS would risk everything to defend the government. Seong queried as to whether officials at the service would carry out the party’s wishes, thinking of the next election; to which the politician replied that the government had already placed people from Honam into top positions at the NTS in advance, as these were the only people they could rely on.

As the MDP member had said, the three top people within the NTS; heads of the NTS, Seoul Regional Office and Investigation’s bureau ?all directly involved in the tax investigation into the media; were replaced in June 1999 by people from Honam. Ahn Jong-nam, Kim Seong-ho and Son Young-lae, all from Chonam Province (Honam) replaced the incumbents in their respective positions.

Ahn, as the new head of the NTS, reshuffled positions as soon as he took office, replacing high-ranking, working-level officials with his own men. In addition, he mobilized the agencies Audit Team to confirm the birthplace of all NTS employees, saying that people changed this when new governments were inaugurated. Ahn also directly promoted people from Honam. The entire reshuffle was completed in early 2000 and the NTS immediately began an investigation into the Bogwang (JoongAng Ilbo) and Hanjin Groups. Following this in January 2001, it launched a massive investigation into 23 Seoul based media companies.

(Choi Byong-mook, bmchoi@chosun.com)

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