Kwon Roh-Kap Banned to Depart, to Be Summoned

The first special investigative office (chief prosecutor Park Young-Kwan) of the Seoul District Prosecutor`s Office, which is reinvestigating so-called Jin Seung-Hyun Gate, has banned overseas trip of former supreme council member of the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) Kwon Roh-Kap (see the picture) beginning from April 20, and announced on April 29 that he is being investigated on allegation of receiving 50 million Won from Mr. Jin in early July 2000.

The prosecution is known to have obtained testimonies of Mr. Jin and former CEO of MCI Korea Kim Jae-Hwan that they have delivered money to other political and governmental figures in addition to former supreme council member Kwon.

The prosecution notified former supreme council member Kwon to appear before the prosecution on May 1, but Kwon informed the prosecution that he would call in the prosecution on May 2.

Former supreme council member Kwon is allegedly received money in return for thwarting investigation of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) on affiliate companies of Mr. Jin including Asian Composite Finance.

Accordingly, the prosecution is going to inquire former supreme council member Kwon about whether he received money from Mr. Jin and interfered with the affairs of FSS on Mr. Jin`s business, and to file a criminal indictment if the suspicion is confirmed.

According to the prosecution, fifty thousand million Won that was transferred to former supreme council member Kwon according to Mr.Jin`s statement, is not related with 100 million Won that MDP Rep. Kim Bang-Rim allegedly received from Mr. Jin, as a political campaign fund and in return for thwarting an investigation of FSS, in three occasions during April and September 2000. The prosecution has a plan to call in Rep. Kim on May 3.

On this matter, former supreme council member Kwon said, ` I do not know who Mr. Jin is, and the rumor that I received money is simply not a true,` and added, `I will appear before the prosecution in stride to check out what is happening.` Former supreme council member Kwon has prepared to go out overseas including Hawaii, the U.S., after closing off his private office.

In other story, the first public security office of the Seoul District Prosecutor`s Office (chief prosecutor Park Chul-June) announced in the day that the office started earnestly investigating on the disclosure case of MDP Rep. Kim Keun-Tae who said that he received assistance fund from former supreme council member Kwon during the election of MDP supreme council members in August 2000.

The prosecution is going to investigate on alleged violation of the Political Fund Act by summoning former supreme council member Kwon right after the probe of the special investigation office on an involvement case of Jin Seung-Hyun Gate is finished.

Rep. Kim Keun-Tae confessed on March 3, ` I used illegal election fund during the party convention in August 2000, and received 20 million Won from former supreme council member Kwon, `, and Kwon also admitted that he gave 20 million Won to both Reps. Kim and Chung Dong-Young.

Myoung-Gun Lee gun43@donga.com · myzodan@donga.com