The prosecution is focusing on determining who led police Superintendent Park Gwan-cheon to draw up controversial intelligence reports as the investigation into the leak at the presidential office draws to an end.

Former presidential secretary Cho Eung-cheon has come under scrutiny, and the prosecution is reported to be planning to summon him again this week. Cho, who served as the chief of the team in charge of discipline within the civil service, was singled out by the presidential office as being the mastermind behind the scandal. Cho was also Park Gwan-cheon’s immediate superior, and the police officer has claimed that he was Cho’s “sharpest teeth.”

Park is under arrest for removing presidential documents from Cheong Wa Dae without authorization. The prosecution believes that the documents, which included those regarding Chung Yoon-hoi, were then leaked to the media by two police inspectors identified by the surnames Choi and Han. Park is also believed to have compiled a false report that Chung had placed Park Ji-man, the president’s brother, under surveillance. The reports drawn up by Park Gwan-cheon set off a massive scandal in which Chung, a former aide of President Park Geun-hye, was alleged to have meddled in state affairs.

In the weeks since the first news report, allegations that both Chung and Park Ji-man were running secretive groups through which they were influencing state affairs or plotting against each other.

Although the prosecution is nearing the end of its investigation, which has tentatively determined that all rumors surrounding Chung and Park Ji-man are false, Cheong Wa Dae’s response to the developments has been criticized as fueling mistrust.

Since the first news report on the so-called “Chung Yoon-hoi gate” broke, Cheong Wa Dae has maintained that all related rumors were false.

President Park Geun-hye referred to the intelligence reports drawn up by Park Gwan-cheon as a collection of groundless rumors. However, it was later revealed that the report was an official presidential document.

In addition, reports of Cheong Wa Dae’s audit team attempting to coerce a mid-level official into giving false testimony has added to the mistrust.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)