Publishing Company Owner Stated of Passing Money to Lee Kwang-jae

The Investigation Division of Seoul District Prosecutors Office’s Chief prosecutor, So Byung-chul, announced on Monday that it had confirmed a statement from Kim Sung-rae, 54, who was the former chairman of big publishing company ‘Gaemongsa’ and vice-chairman of a ‘S’ group, acknowledging that she had passed on several hundred won to Lee Kwang-jae, chief of the presidential situation room, before the general election of last year.

However, a prosecution official added, “Since Kim has not given a clear explanation concerning the price for the bribe yet, we are not intending to investigate Mr. Lee for the moment.”

Kim has been confined under indictment on suspicion of forging BOD minutes of ‘S’ group last March and lending out 11.5 million won from Nonghyup (National Agricultural Cooperative Federation).

The same day, an official of the public information office in Cheongwadae denied the suspicion. “The report made by the press (regarding Presidential Chief Lee’s receiving bribes) is totally nonsense,” he pointed out.

He also added, “The domestic public information office in Cheongwadae is considering legal countermeasures against the press who reported this false information.”

Sang-Rok Lee Young-Hae Choi myzodan@donga.com yhchoi65@donga.com