By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter


Military prosecutors on Wednesday questioned two Army officers overnight over alleged corruption involving the promotion of colonels to the level of general.

The two officers are one lieutenant colonel who was in charge of basic materials in screening the promotions and his predecessor, who is set to be promoted to colonel.

More military officers are expected to be called in to help prosecutors with their investigations depending on the outcome of the questioning of the two officers.

Prosecutors say they are now examining the documents acquired from Army headquarters to determine whether there is any record which can nullify last month’s Army reshuffle in which 52 colonels were promoted to brigadier generals.

Several top Army generals on Wednesday voiced opposition to the military prosecution’s investigation of allegations that some 20 unqualified colonels were promoted to the level of general.

They argued that the prosecution began the full-scale probe based on ``groundless rumors’’ contained in some leaflets distributed on Monday around the Defense Ministry building in Seoul.

``The military prosecution’s first-ever raid on Army headquarters in Taejon and officers’ houses to investigate a promotion scandal is outrageous,’’ a major general said on condition of anonymity. ``The prosecution’s blatant move damages morale among top military officials.’’

Another general-level officer questioned the military prosecution’s intentions, saying that it had violated the required processes for conducting a search of the headquarters office and officers’ residences.

Legal experts also indicated the military court’s issuance of a search warrant to the military prosecution was not carried out properly because there was no evidence of a crime involving the unqualified officers mentioned in the leaflets.

The probe triggered speculation that Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung may be conspiring to remove top Army officers opposed to the current government’s reform project and force Army Chief of Staff Gen. Nam Jae-joon to step down to take responsibility for the scandal.

Nam has reportedly clashed with the minister as the general clearly indicated his opposition to the independence of the military prosecution from the Defense Ministry during a staff meeting.

However, Yoon flatly denied the speculation, saying: ``I already had an understanding with Gen. Nam before the raid on Army headquarters.’’

Some observers say this investigation could be a harbinger of long-awaited military reforms in personnel affairs as the Roh Moo-Hyun administration had repeatedly ordered the ministry to make changes since Roh’s inauguration in February 2003.

Promotions in the military have long been a major source of complaints, expressed in materials of unidentifiable origin, but this is the first time for materials to spark an official investigation.

The prosecutors stepped up their investigation into the allegations by calling in a lieutenant colonel who served as a key judge in the screening process for the promotions.

Some allegations have already been confirmed, the prosecutors said. The leaflets accused 20 newly promoted brigadier generals of various wrongdoings including bribery and drunk driving.

According to Army regulations, any record of wrongdoings disqualifies colonels from being promoted to the next grade of brigadier general.

yoonwonsup@koreatimes.co.kr