Legal Proceeding against Kim Hong-Gul Started

It seems that the prosecution is taking steps to summon the third son of President Kim Dae-Jung, Hong-Gul, and to file a legal proceeding against him.

The special investigative office (chief prosecutor Cha Dong-Min) of the Seoul District Prosecutor`s Office noticed CEO of C construction company, Hwang In-Don, a brother-in-law of Hong-Gul, to appear before the prosecution in earliest times possible. A related person of the prosecution quoted as saying, `Mr. Hwang informed us, via a defense lawyer, to show up before the prosecution at 10 A.M. on April 29, but we are urging him to appear as soon as possible.`

The prosecution will probe intensely on whether Hwang relayed money of CEO of Future City Environment Choi Kyu-Sun and on who really owns 13 thousand shares of Tiger Pools International (TPI) that are now under the names of three employees of C company including alias Mr. Yu.

Additionally, the prosecution has a plan to inquire about the circumstances of renting an office space in N building owned by S construction company and located in Kangnam Seoul, and also who is the person that has actually used the office.

Mr. Hwang claimed recently via a defense lawyer, `Even though I relayed once a bundle of shopping bags to Hong-Gul as an errand for Mr. Choi, I did not know the content,` which is interpreted as an indirect admission that he relayed money to Hong-Gul.

The prosecution is likely to summon related persons of TPI at the same time when Mr. Hwang appear before the prosecution, and to ascertain the factual circumstances of TPI shares ownership by Hong-Gul under the borrowed names and about money transactions. Then it is known that the prosecution will summon Hong-Gul to inquire about them.

In other hand, the prosecution partially restored to analyze some content of the files where daily schedule and company`s account memos reside from the computer hard disks seized from Choi`s office and house recently.

The prosecution is also reviewing the measures of how to forcefully call in former deputy Seould mayor Kim Hee-Wan who is allegedly received 150 million Won in return for thwarting a rebate irregularities investigation against C hospital located in Seoul.

Jin-Kyun Kil myzodan@donga.com · leon@donga.com