Emergence of “Lobbying Calendar”: Foreign Travel Ban on 13 Government Officials

The Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office is currently investigating a housing-commercial complex construction company’s suspected lobbying of government officials near Tanhyeon Station, Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province. It is waging a full-scale investigation by imposing an additional foreign travel ban on 13 government officials including those appearing in the two original copies of the desk calendar with the lobbying message.

In addition, the office referred the case to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) (headed by Cho Jung-cheol), which used to be handled by one prosecutor at the Criminal Department I, now putting in all three prosecutors from the DSI.

The Prosecutors’ Office is to inquire on the rights of the case written on the two original copies of the desk calendar submitted by Mr. Kim (aged 50), an advisor at the housing-commercial complex construction company with a company initial K. Concurrently, it is to take in all the bank account tracking records related to Company K’s suspected collection of slush funds which has been investigated by Goyang Branch of Uijeongbu District Public Prosecutors’ Office.

Officials from the Prosecutors’ Office said, “There are about 10 entries in the list of ‘government officials’ and ‘commercial banks’ in the original copies of the calendar for lobbying.”

Furthermore, the Prosecutors’ Office decided to concurrently investigate the case in which Mr. Kim, the former CEO, who had filed a lawsuit against Mr. Chung (aged 47) of Company K on the charge of embezzlement in this September, additionally appealed against about 10 officials at the company including Mr. Chung on December 6 on the charge of raising slush funds.

The Prosecutors’ Office also decided to have a full-scale review on the case of embezzlement and false charge of related officials at Company H, the predecessor of Company K, which was the investigation target of the Department of Special Investigation of the Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office in September of last year.

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