Prosecution Soon Summons Scandal Related Persons

The prosecution started to investigate on May 7 on the recorded memo of CEO of Future City Environment Choi Kyu-Sun, in which Choi disclosed the Blue House demanded him to flee the country, and one hundred million Won was delivered to the third son of President Kim Dae-Jung, Hong-Gul.

The second special investigative office (chief prosecutor Cha Dong-Min) of the Seoul

District Public Prosecutor`s Office obtained a recorded memo of Choi made before being summoned to the prosecution, containing the claims that a presidential secretary for political affairs Lee Man-Young, former director of special investigation division of the National Police Agency (NPA) Choi Sung-Kyu, two officers of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) have gathered numerous times and decided to sneak Choi out of the country. The prosecution is investigating the circumstance of the audio tape recording and others.

According to the memo, Mr. Choi gave three hundred bank notes in one million denominations to Hong-Gul and asked a presidential secretary for civil affairs Kim Hyun-Seop to delay the summoning of prosecution to avoid the account trace checking.

Therefore, the prosecution will re-summon the presidential secretary Lee to question him about whether he discussed ways to stow away Choi by ships and whether he is involved in the overseas escape of former police director Choi on April 14.

The prosecution had once summoned presidential secretary Lee immediately after Choi made a statement in the court indicating the involvement of the Blue House officials in demanding overseas flee, inquired Choi of the statement, and announced, `Presidential secretary Lee stated that he have not discussed with former director Choi about the matter of Mr. Choi.` Some pointed out at that time that the prosecution was assisting the excuse of the official of the presidential office.

The prosecution is also looking for the identities of two NIS officers who attended the Blue House meetings allegedly by Choi.

The prosecution also has a plan to investigate the sources and expenditures of three million Won`s worth of bank notes denominated in one million Won, which Choi claimed he delivered to Hong-Gul, by checking the account trace.

Since Mr. Choi allegedly said during the telephone conversation with presidential secretary Kim, `It takes time to make the matter straight to avoid the trace of bank notes, ` the prosecution thinks it is highly likely the money is paid for some kind of compensation.

However, presidential secretary Lee flatly denied what Choi claimed, saying, `Mr. Choi was speaking without his mind.` In other hand, another presidential secretary Kim said, `Choi called on April 14, demanded to delay the summoning of prosecution while talking about bank notes, but I rejected it saying the Blue House could not interfere the summoning of the prosecution.`

The prosecution also has a plan to investigate whether related persons in the Blue House have interfered in the investigations of NPA special investigation division and Sajik-Dong team in the matters of Mr. Choi in 1998, during which the special investigative teams probed Choi on the allegations of rebates in relation to the foreign capital inducement and the swindle charges in relation to Michael Jackson invitational performance and freed Choi.

Myoung-Gun Lee Jin-Kyun Kil gun43@donga.com · leon@donga.com