Lee Sang-Ho, Kook Joong-Ho Summoned

The Incheon District Public Prosecutor`s Office yesterday requested an arrest warrant of Lee Sang-Ho, former head of the development project team at the Incheon International Airport Corp (IIAC), and a former presidential executive secretary Kook Joong-Ho. Lee was suspected of interference by outside pressure, publications of defamation, and violation of the Incheon International Airport construction law. And Kook was charged of a disclosure of the classified information and the interference by outside pressure.

According to the prosecution, Lee was charged because he did not notify the altered evaluation criteria such as `the omission of land use fees` to about 80 companies who participated in the airport development project. And further, despite a former presidential official Kook ordered to stress the profitability, Lee said to the evaluators that the plausibility for the realization was more important. Thus he was also suspected of the interference on the fair evaluation.

The prosecutors revealed that, ``By disseminating the false fact that president Kang and the chairman of the Sportsseoul 21, Yoon Heung-Yeol executed the outside pressure through the government`s high-ranking officials, Lee injured the reputations of president Kang and Mr. Yoon.`` Lee also has been suspected of revealing the classified information such as the contents of the directors board meeting and the evaluation criteria to the press (violation of the Incheon Airport construction law).

After he obtained, from the non-permanent board member of the Ace Membership Exchange Co. that participated in the Airport 72, the information that the evaluation has been unfairly proceeded in favor of a certain company, the former presidential secretary Kook wielded his influence on Lee and president Kang to utilize the acquired information (disclosure of the classified information and the interference on the execution of a duty).

The prosecutors are investigating the bank accounts of Lee and Kook in order to reveal whether they were bribed in the process of lobby.

The actual evaluation on the arrest warrants will be held at 10 o`clock a.m. today.

Park Joung-Gu jangkung@donga.com