By Lee Hyo-sik
Grand National Party (GNP) lawmaker Koh Seung-duk told prosecutors Sunday that an aide to former party leader and National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae offered him cash to buy his vote before a chairmanship election.
Koh, who was summoned to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in the afternoon, named one of Park’s aides as the person who attempted to bribe him.
“I refused to accept the money from a candidate campaigning to become the party leader in the past. I will tell investigators everything I know,’’ Koh said before entering the building.
Last week, Koh disclosed that the former party leader offered him an envelope containing 3 million won ($2,600), prior to a GNP leadership race between 2008 and 2010. Koh said he refused to take the bribe delivered by an aide to a candidate loyal to President Lee Myung-bak ahead of the GNP’s National Convention.
Although Koh didn’t unveil any names publically, media outlets here suspected the involvement of Park. It was also suspected that Kim Hyo-jae, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, previously an aide to Park, delivered the envelope to Koh.
In response, both Kim and Park flatly denied the accusation. Park became the GNP head in July 2008.
The former lawyer and first-term legislator has remained silent since last Wednesday when he raised the allegation, dealing a severe blow to the governing party. The GNP is already reeling from a series of other scandals, including a cyber attack on the website of the National Election Commission by former aides of party lawmakers.
``A certain individual has been mentioned as a culprit. But that was never my intention and I did not want the matter to develop into a criminal case. I am quite embarrassed by how things have turned out,’’ Koh said.
He said he would faithfully answer investigators’ questions.
When asked why he disclosed the alleged bribery scandal, Koh said bribing voters is a decades-old dubious practice. ``I brought the issue to light for the advancement of Korean politics.’’
The prosecution said investigators questioned Koh about who bribed him and how he returned the money.
``Investigators asked him about which former GNP leader offered him cash. Rep. Koh was also asked about who delivered the envelope containing cash and how he returned the money,’’ a prosecution official said. ``Investigators also questioned Koh about whether he knew of other lawmakers who received bribes. As soon as we confirm the identities of those involved in the alleged bribery scandal, we will immediately summon them for questioning.’’
Rep. Ahn Sang-soo, who served as GNP chairman from 2010 to 2011, dismissed suspicions against him, saying he never offered bribes to anyone to become party leader.
Former GNP Chairman Hong Joon-pyo has been cleared of suspicion as he was elected as a party leader in 2011.
The prosecution is also looking into a similar allegation raised by Rep. Cho Jeon-hyeok of the GNP. Cho claimed a candidate campaigning to become a GNP leader in the party’s 2010 national convention delivered envelopes containing 10 million won to party members.
leehs@koreatimes.co.kr