Former Lawmaker Kim Hyun-Kyu to Be Summoned within This Week

The Seoul District Prosecutor`s Office, which is investigating allegations that Yoon Tae-Sik, major stock holder of Pass 21, lobbied political and administrational circles, requested arrest warrants for Lee Gye-Jin, journalist of the Maekyung paper, and Rho Hui-Do, official of International Cooperation Office of the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC).

Mr. Lee is suspected to have received 400 Pass 21 stocks (face price 5000 won) for 2 million won with the request to advertise articles from Mr. Yoon in January 2000, and received 1000 more stocks worth 100 million won for nothing for the same request (dereliction and bribery).

Moreover, Mr. Lee is suspected to have received 12 million won from Mr. Yoon by participating in capital increase of Pass 21 in February 2001 and paid back a portion of the stock purchase money of 24 million won.

The Prosecution declared, "Mr. Lee has written about Pass 21 24 times. But there is no judicial precedent for punishing a journalist for receiving money for advertising articles."

Mr. Rho is suspected for purchasing 200 stocks of Pass 21, which are worth 40 million won, at face price (5000 won) from Mr. Yoon in January 2000 after he installed a finger print approval system of Pass 21 in the computer center office when he worked for the director general of the ministry`s Electronic Data Management Center in late 1999 (bribery by the specific crime punishment aggravation law).

The Prosecution announced, "Although the system was installed for nothing, the money can be accepted as compensation. Because the impression that the MIC acknowledges Pass 21`s technological capacity could positively affect company advertisement."

The Prosecution will summon former lawmaker Kim Hyun-Kyu, supervisor of Pass 21, and investigate whether he helped Mr. Yoon lobby political and administrational circles.

Meanwhile, the Prosecution announced that Yoon Tae-Sik founded Pass 21 by purchasing the controlling interest of company B, which had the technology for finger print approval, and taking over the technology and directorship with financial assistance from Mrs. Yoon, the wife of Kim Young-Ryul, owner of the Seoul Economic Daily (SED).

Mrs. Yoon, who owns a wedding hall, has known Yoon Tae-Sik since 1997, and provided the interest-purchasing fund with a discount bill issued by the wedding hall.

Mr. Kim, the owner of SED, met Nam Goong-Suk, then minister of MIC, with Yoon Tae-Shik in December 1999, and requested support for Pass 21. Mr. Kim and Mrs. Yoon are suspected to have played an important role in promoting Yoon Tae-Sik`s enterprise.

The Prosecution said, "We investigated Mrs. Yoon several times, and will summon Mr. Kim sooner or later."

Myoung-Gun Lee gun43@donga.com