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Tue, January 19, 2021 | 21:25
Warnings label on cigarette packs to get bigger
담뱃갑 경고문구 커진다
Posted : 2012-04-30 19:09
Updated : 2012-04-30 19:09
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By Kim Rahn

The prosecution has raided the home and office of a Pohang-based businessman in an investigation into the money-for-influence scandal surrounding a Picity development project in southern Seoul.

Prosecutors suspect the businessman may have laundered kickbacks which former Knowledge Economy Vice Minister Park Young-june received from Picity in return for influence-peddling.

They plan to summon Park tomorrow for questioning as a suspect.

Investigators from the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said Monday they raided the properties belonging to Lee Dong-jo, chairman of POSCO subcontractor JE&Tech, on Saturday after securing evidence of suspicious financial transactions between him and Park.

While looking into bank accounts of Park and other figures involved, prosecutors said they found Picity gave Park about 20 million won in checks. The money was then transferred to Lee.

Suspicions are that the businessman managed and laundered the bribes. Park is suspected of having received hundreds of millions of won from Picity in return for helping the real estate developer change a cargo terminal development project into a large-sized logistics complex to include shopping facilities.

The 20 million won is separate from some 2 billion won which the former Picity head allegedly spent for lobbying policymakers through a broker.

The prosecution plans to summon Lee, who is currently in China, as a witness.

It is said that since 2000, Lee influential in Pohang, was close to Park, a former aide to Rep. Lee Sang-deuk who won a ruling party’s National Assembly seat in the region. Rep. Lee is the elder brother of President Lee Myung-bak.

Another figure, Seoul City’s former political affairs chief Kang Cheol-won, returned home from China Monday for questioning. He earlier told a local daily that Park called him in 2007 and asked him for an update on the city’s approval process for the development project.

Prosecutors are also examining related documents and records of meetings of Seoul City’s urban development committee between 2005 and 2008, the period during which the broker allegedly lobbied city officials and politicians.

They have also summoned two former city officials in charge of project approval at that time, questioning them over the approval process and Park’s role in it. Park worked at the city government under then-Mayor Lee Myung-bak from 2005 to 2006.

In the meantime, a local court reviewed whether to issue an arrest warrant for Choi See-joong, former Korea Communications Commission chairman, for allegedly taking 800 million won from Picity in exchange for peddling influence.

In front of the court in southern Seoul when reporters asked him what he had spent the money on, Choi answered, “I have no excuse.”

He earlier admitted to receiving the money, but claimed it was roughly 200 million won and that it was not in return for influence peddling.

담뱃갑 경고문구 커진다
흡연율 줄이기 정책의 일환으로 12월부터 담뱃갑의 경고 문구가 더 커질 전망이다. 또 다중이용시설에서의 금연이 확대된다. 보건복지부는 작년 개정돼 올해 12월 8일 발효 예정인 국민건강진흥법에 따라 이처럼 시행규칙을 만들고 있다고 밝혔다. 복지부 관계자는 “현재 담뱃갑에는 경고 문구가 두 개가 들어가 있는데 두 개가 더 추가될 예정이다”라고 말했다. 그렇게 되면 현재 담뱃갑 앞뒷면의 30% 정도를 차지하고 있는 경고문이 절반 가량 차지하게 될 것으로 보인다. 새 경고문에는 저타르 담배도 위험하다는 내용과 금연상담 전화번호가 들어갈 예정이다. 또, 간접흡연의 폐해를 막기 위해 다중이용시설과 청소년이 자주 드나드는 시설의 금연 구역 지정이 확대될 전망이다. 이 관계자는 “지금까지는 다중이용시설의 50% 이상을 금연구역으로 지정하게 되어 있었고, 따라서 PC방 등에 금연구역 흡연구역이 나뉘어 있었다. 그러나 개정안에 따라서는 시설 전체에서 흡연이 금지될 것이다”라고 말했다.
Emailrahnita@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter









 
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