Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who is now in charge of state affairs following the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye last week, has been accused of abusing his authority in 2014 to influence the investigation into the sinking of the Sewol ferry.
Hwang, who was serving as minister of justice at that time, impeded the prosecution's attempt to investigate Kim Kyung-il, the captain of the first Coast Guard boat sent to rescue passengers, to protect the government from being held accountable for the accident, the local daily Hankyoreh reported Friday.
Sources from the prosecution told the newspaper that, due to the ministry's interference, it took them nearly two months to investigate maritime police despite their obvious errors.
The rescue team's ineffectiveness at the critical time was one of the main factors blamed for the tragedy, which took 304 lives on April 16, 2014.
"For many reasons, it was difficult to form an investigation team in the first place," a source said. "The ministry's cooperativeness for the investigation was highly questionable."
Sources said the ministry pressured the Gwangju District Prosecutor's Office, which led the investigation, to stop investigating the captain, who failed to broadcast an evacuation order through his boat's loudspeakers and made no effort to induce passengers to abandon ship.
According to sources, the ministry was concerned that punishing him could direct the public anger at those higher up in the government.
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But the prosecution pushed ahead, and Kim was sentenced to three years in prison by the Supreme Court last year for professional negligence and making false reports.
Many of the prosecutors who led the investigation, however, were later demoted to other posts regarded as less important. Byun Chan-woo, head of the prosecutor's office, and Lee Do-sik, another senior prosecutor there, left the prosecution.
Opposition lawmakers immediately reacted to the fresh revelations, urging Park Young-soo, the special prosecutor appointed to investigate the Choi Soon-sil scandal, to look into them as well.
"The special prosecutor should conduct a thorough investigation to find out whether Hwang influenced the Sewol probe," said Rep. Keum Tae-sup, spokesman of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).
In a press release on Friday, Hwang denied all allegations.
The ministry echoed his denial. Referring to what sources described as "interferences," the ministry claimed they were just a normal part of work processes. It also insisted the personnel transfer was made according to the rules and their performances.
Under the Park administration, Hwang served as justice minister from March 2013 to June 2015 before taking the prime minister position. He has been in charge of state affairs since President Park was impeached by the National Assembly on Nov. 9.