Yeoju Mayor Arrested on Bribery Charge

The mayor of Yeoju County, Gyeonggi Province, Lee Gi-su, was arrested yesterday on the charge of offering a bribe of 200 million won (180,132 U.S. dollars) to a ruling party lawmaker. Grand National Party lawmaker Lee Beom-kwan, who was elected by the county, reported the attempt to police yesterday.

According to police and lawmaker Lee, the two men talked at a coffee shop in Seoul’s Seocho district for about 30 minutes. The governor’s secretary allegedly gave a shopping bag containing the cash to the lawmaker’s secretary, calling it a gift for Lee Beom-kwan. Lee Beom-kwan said he grew suspicious of the bag because it was sealed, adding he then had his secretary chase the governor’s car. The lawmaker also instructed his aide to report the case to police and run after the governor along with his secretary. The secretary caught the governor near a tollgate on the Gyeongbu Expressway in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

Police found 40 bundles of 50,000 won bills in the bag. They arrested the governor on the charge of political funding violations.

The motive of the governor’s action is known to be obtaining the party’s nomination for the June 2 local elections. Four people including the governor have reportedly applied as candidates for Yeoju mayor. The results of candidate screening will come out around Tuesday.

Gov. Lee has served as a culture and tourism director for Gyeonggi Province and deputy mayor of Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, He was elected Yeoju mayor in 2006.

bibulus@donga.com