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Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday said former president Roh Moo-hyun had created an electronic support system identical to the former ¡°e-Jiwon¡± (digital knowledge park) work management system or Intranet at the presidential office and had installed it without permission at Roh¡¯s private retirement residence in Bongha Village. Cheong Wa Dae said the former president handed over to the Lee Myung-bak administration only 16,000 out of a total 2.4 million files that were created until the end of 2006, while excluding most data including personnel files and North Korean nuclear data. The former president¡¯s people say they had the permission of the Lee administration and are storing the data temporarily.
Cheong Wa Dae deems the removal of the files an illegal act and is even considering filing charges against the former president. But Roh is scoffing at the allegations, saying no laws have been broken. With both sides offering such contrasting claims, it is difficult to discern the truth.
While he was still in office in April last year, Roh spearheaded the enactment of the Presidential Records Management Act. That law stipulates that presidential records belong to the state and cannot be removed from the presidential office. A former president must seek the assistance of the National Archives of Korea to see records from his tenure. This is considered one of Roh¡¯s major achievements.
Even if he tried to obtain data to use for his memoirs, former president Roh has broken a law he created himself by removing the records from his term. If he had been prevented from viewing his records by the NAK, then he should have gone through proper procedures to obtain them. Why did the former president create the law in the first place if he is saying he removed the files in bulk since it was difficult to view them? He is not denying media reports that say he even removed military files as well. It remains a mystery why he would need such information.
The head of the NAK is expected to visit the former president soon to urge him to return the files. The proper thing for Roh to do would be to reveal the entire range of files he has removed and taken to Bongha Village and return them before such a visit takes place.
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