Mr. Hwang Contradicted What Roh`s Elder Brother Said about Property Deals

There are allegations that what Roh Kon-pyong, President Roh Moo-hun`s elder brother, said about his purchase of land on Geoje Island is not true.

In an interview with a news outlet, Kon-pyong said that when one of his acquaintances, a public servant with surname Hwang, borrowed 200 million won from a financial institution, Hwang mortgaged his house and that because Hwang failed to pay back, Roh Kon-pyong had to spend 700 million to 800 million won to repay principal and interest. According to Kon-pyong, Hwang transferred to him the land in Seongpo-ri in Geoje city because he repaid Hwang`s debts.

However, in a telephone interview with this paper on Thursday, Hwang refuted what Kon-pyong said. He said that he had known Kon-pyong for 20 years but that he never borrowed from that financial institution and he had no idea of the land in Seongpo-ri.

Meanwhile, Rep. Kim Moon-soo from the opposition Grand National Party (GNP) officially requested the prosecution`s investigation into allegations surrounding Kon-pyong`s property on Thursday.

At a GNP senior members meeting, showing the written request for prosecutors` investigation, Rep. Kim asserted that Kon-pyong`s land in Gimhae city, South Gyeongsang Province, seemed to be President Roh`s and that there were tips that President Roh owns much more property than was disclosed.

In the written request, the lawmaker urged prosecutors to investigate into how Kon-pyong became connected to two construction companies; his selling of land in Gujorari, Geoje city, to his brother-in-law to avoid provisional seizure; and how he got approval for the construction of two villas and a café within the Geoje National Park.

However, in a press release on that day Cheong Wa Dae`s civil affairs office said that the construction of the villas had no legal problems and that President Roh had nothing to do with the property deals. It said that the GNP`s allegations were part of its political maneuvering.

With regard to Kon-pyong`s land and two villas within the national park, the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae said that the president elder brother bought the land in January 1981 and February 1983, before the president became a lawmaker and that the construction of the two villas were approved by park authorities in March 1998, when the president didn`t serve as a lawmaker.