“Shin Exerted Pressure on Financial Supervisory Service“

The Seoul District Prosecution, which is re-investigating the `Jin Seung-Hyun Gate`, announced yesterday that it verified that the former vice Justice Minister Shin Kwang-Ok received money from the former official of the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) Choi Tak-Gon along with the favor in relation to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS)`s investigation as well as the prosecution`s investigation on Jin Seung-Hyun, the owner of MCI Korea.

However, it was reported that the prosecution has not made the final decision as to whether it would issue a warrant for Shin`s arrest.

The prosecution said, "The investigation is progressing slowly since the former vice minister Shin is not cooperating well."

The prosecution said that the former vice minister Shin testified that he "did not receive money from Choi and did not remember well whether he had met with Jin." Since Choi testified that he gave money to Shin for a special purpose, the prosecution said it would cross-examine the two.

It was reported that the former vice minister Shin strongly denied that he had received money when he appeared in the prosecution Wednesday morning, but changed his attitude after finding out that there were concrete evidences including Choi`s testimony, and met with his lawyer several times.

The prosecution said that the former vice minister Shin had met with Choi in a Japanese restaurant in P hotel in Seoul last May and received money. Right after their meeting, Jin joined them and talked about the FSS`s investigation and the Sajik-dong team`s investigation (police investigation team).

It was reported that the prosecution found out that Shin had exerted pressure on the FSS and the Sajik-dong team.

The former vice minister Shin`s side, on the other hand, submitted circumstantial documents to refute the Choi`s testimony to the prosecution.

Meanwhile, the prosecution announced that it would summon and investigate the former second director of the National Intelligence Service Kim Eun-Sung, who has been hospitalized, as late as early next week.

Myoung-Gun Lee gun43@donga.com