Prosecutors said Thursday they are investigating a 61-year-old man who allegedly helped a local supplier provide faulty parts to build a Navy rescue and salvage ship that eventually failed to function at the height of April's deadly ferry disaster. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said the former Navy captain, surnamed Kim, is under suspicion of receiving 400 million won (US$367,000) in kickbacks to introduce a local parts supplier to a Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) official, surnamed Choi, in charge of choosing the suppliers for the ship Tongyeong in 2011. Tongyeong was completed in 2012 but was found to be fraught with problems at the peak of efforts to rescue those missing from the April 16 disaster in which a ferry capsized in southwestern waters and killed more than 300 passengers. The military said Tongyeong's sonar system was insufficient and that its remotely operated vehicle was unable to properly scale underwater structures, prompting an investigation in May to find out why the 3,500-ton vessel could not be used when it was needed most. As a result, prosecutors indicted Choi last month on charges of overstating the evaluation results of Tongyeong's sonar system.
Choi helped the supplier win the 63 billion won bid to provide the equipment for Tongyeong, prosecutors said. Key officials at the supplier were also indicted earlier this month on charges of giving bribes to Choi. Prosecutors said they have requested an arrest warrant for Kim and are investigating whether he played a part in other cases of corruption within DAPA. (Yonhap)
