The bribery scandal involving President Lee Myung-bak’s close confidant is leading to questions about the legitimacy of Lee’s 2007 presidential election campaign finances, with opposition parties calling for an all-out investigation into the funds.

Former Korea Communications Commission chairman Choi See-joong, suspected of receiving bribes in exchange for influence-peddling in a construction project, stoked tensions among the political parties by claiming the money was actually used in Lee’s presidential election campaign.

“It will be hard for the prosecutors to not investigate the presidential election funds,” said Rep. Park Jie-won, senior councilor of the main opposition Democratic United Party on Tuesday.

“The fact that former chairman Choi accepted the money to use it for popularity polls means that this is connected to the presidential election funds of then-candidate Lee,” Park said in a radio interview with SBS.

The Central Investigation Department of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office plans to call Choi in for questioning on Wednesday based on evidence that the former regulator accepted at least hundreds of millions of won from a business developer surnamed Lee through a broker also surnamed Lee from 2004.

Prosecutors are also tracking the bank accounts of former Economy Vice Minister Park Young-joon as another key figure in the alleged bribery.

Choi and Park, in return, were allegedly asked to use their influence to secure the licensing for the construction of a major distribution complex at a former cargo terminal site in Yangjae-dong, southern Seoul.

Prosecutors are seeking to prove the connection between the alleged bribes and Seoul Metropolitan Government’s approval of the construction project.

“While there is a high chance Choi will argue that the money was relevant to political funds, the prosecutors already have enough evidence that the money was in exchange for favors,” an official from the prosecution was quoted as telling Munhwa Ilbo.

But political pundits said it was highly likely the investigation would expand into a probe of the election funds.

“As presidential election funds are often described as a Pandora’s box, once it is opened, it will be difficult to contain it,” political philosophy professor Yoon Pyung-joong from Hanshin University said.

Choi would face stronger punishment if convicted of bribery compared to a violation of the Political Fund Law, which carries imprisonment of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 10 million won.

The opposition parties, in the meantime, called for a thorough investigation.

“This case is no longer simple bribery but illegal election funds. The prosecution must accurately investigate the core of the case and precisely target the core body of illegal political funds,” DUP spokesman Park Yong-jin said.

The United Progressive Party also released a statement and said, “The prosecution must arrest and investigate the close confidants of President Lee such as former chairman Choi and deputy minister Park who are involved in corruption.”

Choi, often dubbed President Lee’s political mentor, played a major role in the presidential campaign, using his expertise in popularity surveys accumulated over his years at Gallup between 1994 and 2007. News reports said Choi conducted regular popularity polls with his own money to closely read the public sentiment and prepare countermeasures for President Lee who was suffering from low popularity after he resigned as Seoul mayor in June 2006.

Cheong Wa Dae, in the meantime, repeated its position to wait for the investigation results, while emphasizing the money in question was Choi’s personal matter.

“The suspicions surrounding Choi are completely unrelated to the president,” a high-rank Cheong Wa Dae official was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency.

Another official was quoted as saying, “Even if the (money) proves to be part of the election funds, it should be determined whether it was an official fund or (was used) at a personal level.”

The ruling Saenuri Party, currently gearing up for the presidential race, was also distancing itself from Choi.

“If there is any wrongdoing, all should be taken care of according to the law,” Saenuri chairwoman and presidential candidate frontrunner Park Geun-hye told reporters on Monday.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)