40 billion Won?

With the view of the 15 billion won that is wrapped in suspicion to be delivered to former Minister of Culture and Tourism Mr. Park Ji-won being used as ‘political fund’, the fund delivery route at the time is rising as the focal point of denouncement.

Indeed, the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) had raised a large amount of ‘unofficial fund’ besides the state subsidy, aid and official fund.

The widely accepted notion inside and outside the party is that former advisor Mr. Kwon No-gab played the leading role for delivery and distribution of the unofficial fund. The Democratic Party at that time divided the candidates for the general election into A (special support) B (general support) and C (minimum support), backing an enormous amount of money for the candidates classified as A.

One subject for special application confessed that he had received over 1 billion won from the party, and that a separate person related came in person to spend the money.

When the fluctuation broke where the reformation party asked for former advisor Mr. Kwon`s resignation, and the advisor’s side complained saying that most of the candidates classified as A were the reformation party who ran for election in the capital region. “How could the people who received money from the former advisor show such behavior?”

However, how the former advisor delivered such large amount of money remains veiled in mystery. However, the investigation performed by special prosecutors harbored suspicion on former Minister Mr. Park’s Hyundai fund receiving. There are estimations that the core members of the ruling party and Hyundai played the role of fund raising during the general election in 2000, and Mr. Kwon the distributor.

The people related in the current government are saying that the amount of money Hyundai delivered to Cheong Wa Dae is over 15 billion won, which is drawing the public attention. One related person said, “I heard that the amount of money Hyundai delivered was over 40 billion won. I think the special prosecutors are already aware of the outline.”

This means that there is a chance that another enormous amount of fund besides the 15 billion won confirmed this time may have delivered to the party through the core members of the ruling party.

One section is skeptical about the difference between the announced amount of fund sent to North Korea (500 million dollars) and the actually confirmed amount (450 million dollars) One related person said, “Hyundai explained that the difference 50 million dollars as (about 60 billion won) actual items, but supporting with actual goods and remittance is not the same. There is a need to look for the whereabouts of the 50 million dollars.”

Seung-Mo Yoon ysmo@donga.com