Prosecutors Summon Lawmaker-elect Yang and Her Mother

A team of prosecutors, which has been investigating alleged irregularities over the Pro-Park Alliance’s nomination of proportional representatives, summoned 31-year-old Yang Jeong-rye, who received one of the party’s proportional representation seats, and her mother, Kim Soon-ae.

Yang and Kim, who arrived at the Seoul District Prosecutors` Office at around 1 p.m. Wednesday, entered through an underground parking lot in order to avoid reporters.

Yang’s appearance before prosecutors comes just nine days after she held a press conference on April 14 regarding suspicions surrounding her election. Yang had checked into a hospital in order to avoid the media, according to sources.

Prosecutors are focusing in on Yang’s nomination and 1.55 billion won (about $1.6 million) that Yang alleges her father lent the party, excluding the “special party membership fee” of 100 million won that Yang paid.

Prosecutors also questioned Yang over false statements about her academic background and career as well as her failure to report her husband’s income to the National Election Commission.

Meanwhile, the prosecution team summoned 63-year-old lawmaker-elect Kim Noh-sik for the second consecutive day, Wednesday. Kim, who also secured one of the party’s proportional representation seats, appeared before prosecutors on Tuesday for questioning.

Prosecutors grilled Kim on the origins of 1.5 billion won that he claims he loaned to the party. Prosecutors had raided Kim’s house and office a day earlier.

“Lawmakers-elect Yang and Kim will have to come [to the prosecutors’ office] several times more in the future for questioning,” a prosecution official said.

Considering that both candidates, who made considerable financial contributions to the party, were nominated as top proportional representative candidates, the prosecution has been weighing the possibility that Yang and Kim gave money in return for their selection as party nominees.

Prosecutors are also investigating the source of the money that the party’s chairman, Suh Chung-won, spent to pay off his overdue fines. Suh, who was ordered to pay 1.2 billion in fines in 2004, had been having trouble paying it, but managed to pay 200 million won on January 29 and another 200 million won on March 27.

The prosecution plans to summon Suh once investigations into Yang and Kim are complete.

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