Roh Geon-pyeong Returned the Money after Three Months

The Seoul High Public Prosecutors’ Office reported on March 10 that President Roh’s elder brother Roh Geon-pyeong was found to have received, but later returned, 30 million won from the Daewoo Construction’s CEO Nahm Sang-gook with a request for a favor to allow him to run again for the company’s presidency.

The prosecution indicted Roh Geon-pyeong without physical restraint the same day under charges of illegal mediation and violating the Attorneys-at-Law Act. The receipt of the money by Geon-pyeong will likely affect the political world since it coincides with the impeachment issue of President Roh.

These charges were revealed during the investigation into the Min Fund scandal.

According to the prosecution, Geon-pyeong received 30 million won at his home in Gimhae, Gyeongnam on September 5 last year from Chosun Ritz CEO Park and Bahng with a request for a favor to “make efforts in securing Nahm’s presidency at the second term.”

The prosecution’s investigation confirmed facts that Park suggested “visiting Geon-pyeong to ask the favor” to Nahm, and Nahm offered 30 million won of secret money from Daewoo Construction to Geon-pyeong.

The prosecution suspects that Geon-pyeong returned the money to Park on December 3 last year after Nahm failed to run again for the presidency. Park received an additional 100 million won from Nahm last October saying, “We should give more money to Geon-pyeong,” but Geon-pyeong refused this. It was found out Park and others involved in the case have made private use of 100 million won along with 30 million won which was returned from Geon-pyeong.

Regarding the case, Geon-pyeong insisted, “I have received a shopping bag from Park and Bahng as a Thanksgiving gift along with the request of a favor of Nahm’s presidency. I later found out that money was inside the bag.”

He was also known to have insisted, “I asked Park to come and get the money, but the time was delayed. And that was in November last year, not in December.”

“While we were investigating into personalities around Min, we found out that Geon-pyeong had received the money,” said a related official at the Seoul Prosecutors’ Office. “Geon-pyeong was passive in the process and returned the money later, so we decided to indict him without physical restraint.”

Meanwhile, Geon-pyeong will receive criticism that he was not acting prudently since the date of September 5 was only 20 days after President Roh had instituted a suit of indemnity for damage to GNP Rep. Kim Moon-soo who brought up the issue of the preferential treatment allegation of Geon-pyeong in building his villa in the national park area of Goeje, Gyeongnam.

Jin-Young Hwang buddy@donga.com