SEOUL– A Seoul court on Thursday ruled partially in favor of a civic group seeking information disclosure on Cheong Wa Dae’s off-the-record expenses, including those spent on clandestine operations and the first lady’s clothes.
The Seoul Administrative Court made the ruling in a lawsuit filed by the Korea Taxpayers’ Association to reverse the presidential office’s decision in 2018 to keep its so-called special activity expenses and the costs of dressing first lady Kim Jung-sook for official ceremonies off the record.
Earlier that year, the group filed a request with Cheong Wa Dae for the release of information on such expenses under the Moon Jae-in administration, including the amount of money spent as special activity expenses as well as when and how they were spent and for what purposes.
Special activity expenses are allotted to the prosecution, the national spy agency and other select government organs for intelligence operation purposes, and information on where they were spent are kept confidential.
At that time, Cheong Wa Dae said it decided to keep that information secret, saying such information involving the country’s sensitive national security and defense matters could gravely damage national interests, if released.
The presidential office also refused to disclose information on the expenditures involving the first lady’s outfits and other ceremonial purposes on grounds that those costs are not specified in the state budget.
The administrative court ordered the cancellation of Cheong Wa Dae’s decision and said some of the information requested should be disclosed to the civic group. The presidential office was also ordered to pay for the costs of the lawsuit.
“The defendant’s side argues that information, if released, could compromise privacy or disrupt the execution of official duties, but those reasons seem to be not allowed under the law,” the court said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency