Rumors about Suspected Bribe-Taking of Vice Minister Shin Kwang-Ok

The Seoul District Prosecution revealed that it "will investigate the suspicion even though there is no verified information about the rumor for now." responding to the report of the Joongang Ilbo that `the Prosecution detected a suspicious 100 million won that Vice Justice Minister Shin Kwang-Ok, then senior secretary to the President in August last year, seems to have received from Jin Seung-Hyun, the owner of MCI Korea`.

The Joongang Ilbo reported that `Mr. Jin testified to the fact that he delivered 100 million won to then Senior Secretary Shin to ask him to press the Financial Supervisory Service and the Public Prosecution to cover up the case in August last year`.

However, the Public Prosecution officially denied the suspicion, saying that the Prosecution "did not have such testimony and have not detected such suspicion."

A Prosecution official said, "I have heard that Vice Minister Shin is connected to the Jin case but I thought it is only a rumor as `a certain politician having received hundreds of thousand won."

In terms of the report that the Prosecution had reported to the Prosecutor General after detecting the suspicion on the bribe taking of Vice Minister Shin, the Prosecutors Office denied, saying "since there was no investigation on it, a report cannot be made."

The Prosecution official added, "It seems that Vice Minister Shin was not in the position to take money then."

However, another a high-ranking prosecutor remarked, "The report is not groundless. The truth will be revealed in the process of the investigation."

In relation, Vice Minister Shin said, "I don`t know Mr. Jin and the report is groundless. I requested the Prosecution to find the truth of the case."

Vice Minister Shin hired attorney Yang Sam-Seung, former chief secretary to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and decided to request for the correction to the Press Arbitration Commission and to filed a lawsuit for the charge of the defamation.

Vice Minister Shin was appointed as Vice Justice Minister in September. He was a chief director of the Central Investigation Bureau of the Prosecutors Office and later served the President as a Senior Secretary of Civil Administration to the President since January last year.

Lee Myoung-Gun gun43@donga.com