Four suspects arrested, parties lock horns over corruption probe
The main opposition Democratic United Party saw its nomination controversy widen following the arrest of four key suspects Tuesday.
Prosecutors arrested four people ― former head of pro-Roh Moo-hyun Internet radio station Radio21 Yang Kyung-sook and three others ― for violation of the Political Fund Act and Public Official Election Act. Yang, who is currently an executive at Radio21, was an aide to former DUP chairperson Han Hwa-kap.
One of the suspects is the head of an organization affiliated to a district office in Seoul, and ran for Gangseo-gu chief in 2007.
According to the prosecutors, Yang received 3 billion won ($2.6 million) from the three people as an “investment” after she promised them DUP nominations for last April’s general elections citing DUP floor leader Park Jie-won’s name.
The three, however, were not nominated as DUP candidates.
As the investigation progresses, the case is rapidly becoming the center of contention between the DUP and the ruling party.
Saenuri spokesman Hong Il-pyo called on the prosecutors to “investigate thoroughly to clearly reveal the truth,” while Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate Park Geun-hye’s spokesman Lee Sang-il implied that pro-Roh individuals’ influence within the DUP was at the base of the allegations.
“Yang has deep ties with the pro-Roh faction … the reason this suspicion arose is that the pro-Roh faction controlled DUP’s nomination process for April’s general elections,” Lee said in a statement.
Seo Byung-soo, Saenuri Party’s secretary-general, went a step further saying “all suspicions appear to be linked to DUP floor leader Park Jie-won.”
The DUP is hitting back at the prosecution, accusing them of “diluting” the investigation regarding irregularities in the Saenuri Party’s nomination process.
“By talking of ‘nomination offerings’ to the media, the prosecutors’ office is trying to make out allegations of trading DUP nominations as an established fact, but there is no truth to this,” DUP spokesman Jung Sung-ho said in a media briefing. He added that the case had no connection to the party and that it was an incident of corruption of an individual.
“The prosecutors should refrain from diluting the corruption case at the Saenuri Party using the Yang Kyung-sook case.”
In addition to the DUP’s claims that the prosecutors’ office is trying to shift the focus of the Saenuri Party’s scandal, some have raised questions over the disparity in the department assigned to the cases.
While the investigation into Rep. Hyun Young-hee is being conducted by the public safety department of the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office, Yang’s case is being investigated by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Central Investigation Department. The Central Investigation Department works under direct orders of the prosecutor general and is usually reserved for major cases.
By Choi He-suk ()
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
