By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Former presidential policy planner Byeon Yang-kyoon and degree scammer Shin Jeong-ah were indicted together Tuesday for the former's influence peddling for the latter.
Byeon, 58, and his long-time romantic partner Shin, 35, had several charges laid against them.
Prosecutors charged Byeon for pressuring Dongguk University officials in 2005 to hire Shin who fabricated her academic credentials to appear she had obtained a Ph.D. at Yale University.
In exchange for her employment, Byeon promised to help the school get government subsidies, and the prosecution accused him of ``third-party bribery,'' which is applied when a person exercises influence for the benefit of a third person _ namely Shin. He also peddled influence to get Shin selected as the Gwangju Biennale director in July.
Taking advantage of his status as planning and budget minister and Cheong Wa Dae secretary, Byeon put pressure on large-sized companies to donate funds to Sungkok Art Museum where Shin was a curator since 2005.
He also illegally provided state subsidies to Heungdeok Temple in Ulju, where the head monk is Yeongbae, chief of Dongguk University's board of directors, and Bogwang Temple in Gyeonggi Province where he attended. Ven. Yeongbae allegedly attempted to cover up Shin's fake diplomas in exchange for Byeon's favor.
The prosecution also indicted Shin with 10 charges.
These included her forgering of graduate certificates from the Universities of Kansas and Yale to get jobs at Dongguk University and the biennale, as well as embezzling some of the art museum's funds. Shin arranged sales of artworks between artists and the Ministry of Planning and Budget in 2005, and took some of the artworks for herself.
She also applied for a court's debt workout program in 2005 citing fake job and income details.
Prosecutors decided not to indict companies that gave contributions to the art gallery, considering that they did not seek Byeon's influence first and that an indictment could shrivel corporate donations for Mecenat.
The prosecution will keep investigating related figures including former Dongguk University President Hong Ki-sam and Ven. Yeongbae. Prosecutors will also probe Sungkok museum director Park Moon-soon who allegedly embezzled corporate donations with Shin and provided 20 million won to Shin in order to seek Byeon's influence in pardoning her jailed husband, former Ssangyong Group Chairman Kim Suk-won.
Kim is also under investigation for his alleged slush fund raising, since prosecutors found 6 billion won while raiding his home due to Park's allegation.