Will Kwon Disclose Whom Money Was Funneled To?

The political world is paying close attention to what Kwon Roh-kap, former President Kim Dae-jung’s right-hand man, will say after the prosecution arrested him suddenly on Monday. Within the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) there is now talk that people are growing afraid of him because he will disclose MDP campaign expenses from the 2000 parliamentary elections.

With regards to the possibility of such a sudden announcement by Kwon, one of his close aides denied the possibility, saying that he doesn’t have to make such an announcement because he did not receive as much as a 1,000 won bill from Hyundai.

However, there is still speculation that Kwon may disclose how MDP campaign funds were dispersed, seeing as how he appears to have changed since his arrest. It is believed that Kwon lost his temper and fell asleep after taking a sleeping pill in an investigation office at the prosecution’s office on Monday night.

Some lawmakers from the so-called Donggyo-dong faction, composed of former President Kim Dae-jung’s long-term followers, made significant statements that Kwon sacrificed himself for the party and party members and that there are a lot of things to say.

"In fact, Kwon led campaigns for the parliamentary elections in 2000. In particular, a lot of fresh faces were introduced to the political world and Kwon himself stressed in private that he supported them financially," an official within the ruling camp said.

In addition, there are indications that Kwon was deeply involved in the competition for the MDP presidential candidacy last year as well as playing a role in the 2000 parliamentary elections.

Against this backdrop, lawmakers who were reported to have received financial aid from Kwon are worried. In particular, tensions are rising among lawmakers elected in closely contested constituencies in 2000 as well as young lawmakers who were introduced to the public in an effort to enhance the party’s image.

A close aide to a first-term lawmaker who was reported to have received a lot of "ammunition" said, "I understand that some candidates were given as much as 1.5 billion won by the party."

However, most of the young lawmakers protested that they never received any illegal money from the party.

"Why are you only coming after me? It doesn’t make sense at all," a high-strung first-term lawmaker in Seoul said.

Yong-Gwan Jung Seung-Heon Lee yongari@donga.com ddr@donga.com