Chun Yong-taek Claims He Has Receipt For The 20 Million Won

Uri Party Rep. Chun Yong-taek, who is suspected of taking bribes, voluntarily appeared before the police on December 27 and returned home after an interrogation.

In the police investigation, Rep. Chun argued, “I have accepted 20 million won from Chung Ho-young, former chief executive of Korea Raycom Inc., but it was legal funding and I provided a receipt for the money.”

Rep. Chun is accused of taking 50 million won from Chung in June 2000, when he was serving as Minister of National Defense and director of the National Defense Committee.

Chung testified to police that, “I visited Rep. Chun’s house in June 2000 and while handing him the shopping bag filled with ten thousand won notes which totaled 50 million won, I asked him to do a favor, but I never received any receipt.”

However, Rep. Chun presented a copy of the receipt, written April 16, 2001, to the police. After tracking Rep. Chun’s funding account and investigating whether the money taken was legal or not, police will summon Rep. Chun again. Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Division of the Korean National Police Agency revealed on December 28 that they searched the house of former Air Force Chief of Staff Lee, who deposited 53 million won to former chief of the Defense Quality Assurance Agency, Lee Won-hyong.

“I used to live in an apartment which is on Lee’s property and I only deposited the payment for the lease,” explained the former Air Force chief of staff. Lee Won-hyong is also said to have been interrogated by the police for the same reason.

Won-Jae Lee roryrery@donga.com