Suspicions Are Growing that Chyung Dai-chul Received More than 400 Million Won

It was known Thursday that the Seoul District Prosecutor`s Office was investigating whether chairman of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party Chyung Dai-chul received additional money from the president of the shopping mall “Good Morning City” for addressing his special request on the shopping mall business after chairman Jeong received 400 million won March last year.

The prosecution conducted investigation on the driver of Yun Chang-yeol, the president of the Good Morning City, at the area around Namsan Tower apartment in Sindang dong, the house of the chairman Jeong. After the investigation, the prosecution concluded that president Yun was highly likely to give 400 million won to chairman Jeong.

The driver of president Yun stated that president Yun visited chairman Jeong`s house a couple of times and he saw president Yun carry paper box with cash in it to the chairman Jeong`s house. Yun gave political contributions of 50 million won and 20 million won to the chairman Jeong in last December and in 2001 respectively.

Yun also contributed 100 million won and 50 million won last December to the Seoul city branch of the Millennium Democratic Party and the committee for the presidential campaign respectively. The prosecution is planning to summon the chairman Jeong to investigate whether the political contributions of 220 million won as well as 400 million won he received were given to the chairman in return for giving favorable treatments to the president Yun.

Meanwhile, in the meeting with the press Thursday, the association of contractors of Good Morning City shopping mall argued that Good Morning City tried to use the influences of a relative of the former president Kim Dae-jung and a head of a certain bank to receive huge loans from Kookmin bank. The association revealed the shopping mall company`s internal document to support their argument.

The document titled “The Promotion of A project”, acquired from an executive`s computer in the company, was about the lobbying activities of the company. According to the document, the company planned to raise funds by borrowing 23 billion won from Japanese sources or by receiving loans of 30 billion won from banks against its property.

The association said that the prosecution would have to investigate where people in the document really lobbied politicians and whether the company was given favorable conditions in return for their lobbies.

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