Main perpetrator in draft-dodging cases arrested

Major sergeant Park No-Hang, who had long been sought for his part as a perpetrator in a major draft-dodging scandal, was arrested by military investigators Wednesday morning in an apartment in Dongbu Ichon-dong.

Park was taken for interrogation at the office of the Ministry of Defense and was charged for his involvement in over 100 cases of military service-related offenses, including illegal exemption from conscription and arbitrary classification or assignment of draftees while he was detailed in the Military Manpower Administration as an inspector. He had remained at large for three years, since the military police and the prosecution started the probe on the scandal in May 1998.

Park`s arrest is expected to shed light on various draft irregularities involving children of high officials, the military brass and wealthy Koreans.

Suh Young-Deuk, chief inspector at the Ministry of Defense said that although they have not yet come out with substantial evidence, he did not rule out the possibility of something big coming out of further investigations into the scandalous exploits of Park.

[Yonhap]