Tracking Accounts of Kwon Roh-Kap`s Political Fund

The first prosecution office (chief prosecutor Park Young-Kwan) of the Seoul District Public Prosecutor`s Office decided on May 3 to file an arrest warrant against former supreme council member Kwon on charges of receiving more than fifty million Won in return for thwarting the investigation of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) into affiliated companies owned by CEO of MCI Korea, Jin Seung-Hyun.

The prosecution secured the testimonies of Mr. Jin and former second deputy director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) Kim Eun-sung who said, `I went to the house of former supreme council member Kwon in July 2000, and relayed fifty million Won,` and cross examined former supreme council member Kwon with former deputy director Kim.

The prosecution also exposed that former party official of the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) Choi Taek-Kon stated, `I transferred some of the fifty million Won received from Mr. Jin in March 2000 to former supreme council member Kwon.`

The prosecution assumes that Choi also relayed the money of Jin in return for thwarting the investigation of FSS into affiliated companies of Jin

However, former supreme council member Kwon denied flatly any charges levied against him, according to the prosecution.

The prosecution is also investigating the case against former deputy director Kim for violating confidential information security clauses of the NIS Act since Kim reported irregularities of the third son of President Kim Dae-Jung, Hong-Gul, and CEO of Future City Environment Choi Kyu-Sun to former supreme council member Kwon.

In related story, the first public security office (chief prosecutor Park Cheol-Jun) of the Seoul District Public Prosecutor`s Office is considering to trace account records of Kwon and his families in relation to the political fund investigation.

The prosecution will soon summon Reps. Kim Keun-Tae and Chung Dong-Young who admitted receiving campaign fund during the DMP supreme council election in August 2000 to ask about the matter, and has a plan to question former supreme council member Kwon about the sources of money.

In other related story, the prosecution said that there is little basis to believe concerning a suspicion that former economic division manager of NIS Chung Sung-Hong, by an order of then second deputy director of NIS Uhm Ik-Jun, approached Jin to demand 200 million Won in April 2000.

According to the prosecution, Chung is changing his statements from the previous two occasions such as `I relayed the money to former deputy director Uhm` and `I spent the money in special operation expenses by a direction of former deputy director Uhm` to a current statement, `I relayed two million Won received from Jin to a person engaged in special purpose operation.`

According to the prosecution, Jin stated, `I gave two million Won to Chung as he said he would transfer the money to then counter-communism policy coordinator Kim Eun-Sung who was to take the deputy directorship.`

The prosecution said, `Mr. Chung may have falsely stated to protect at that time former deputy director Kim, and this is not the subject of investigation since there is no favoritism involved even if the money is transferred to somebody.`

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