By Kim Jae-won
Police are investigating allegations that those implicated in the snowballing sex scandal involving influential social figures and women hired by a contractor used controlled drugs illegally.
Investigators said that a couple of women testified that they were under the influence of drugs when they provided sexual services to them at a luxury villa owned by the contractor Yun Jung-cheon in Wonju, Gangwon Province.
Police said they also seized one capsule of Lorazepam, a controlled drug used for anxiety and insomnia treatments that should only be used with a doctors’ prescription, in Yun’s car.
“We are looking into whether they used Lorazepam at the parties,” a police officer said.
Illegal drug use is the latest in a series of allegations involving the sex-for-influence scandal.
The case was initially ignited by an adultery complaint filed by Yun’s wife a few years ago, but it soon escalated into a big sex scandal, after a couple of women accused Yun of allegedly raping them in November.
The women also claimed that they were forced by Yun to provide sexual services to the high-ranking figures, including former vice justice minister Kim Hak-eui who denied the allegations but stepped down last week, according to police.
Police are widening investigations into other suspects who allegedly gave business favors to Yun after participating in sex parties in his villa.
Investigators say they will summon the chief of a general hospital within the metro-Seoul area this week for questioning. He is said to have allegedly peddled his influence for Yun to win a 4.7 billion won construction contract from the hospital.
Police also consider summoning a former senior government official who allegedly bought a house from Yun at a cheaper-than-market price.
Insiders say police plan to expand the investigations by questioning all those who were on Yun’s guest list. Police have summoned and questioned about 10 people so far.
There have been numerous media reports that sex parties took place at the villa, and that the events were filmed in secret by Yun and stored on DVDs as part of a plan to use the footage as a blackmail tool.
However, the confiscated video images are of bad quality, which makes it difficult to identify the people in them.
“It may take some time to look at all the evidence as well as collect the data out of a notebook computer owned by Yun’s nephew, which may contain relevant information,” the officer said.
Regarding the possibility drugs used, police say they have ordered that all people implicated in the case _ including Yun, his nephew and an unidentified person suspected to be the source of the controlled substances not to leave the country.
Police are also verifying allegations of illegal gambling involving millions of won that is said to have taken place during the sex parties. The suspects are being checked for violating the country’s Narcotics Control Act and could be charged with illegal gambling.