By Kim Jae-won
Police on Thursday booked former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui without physical detention on charges of raping numerous women during sex parties, hosted by a construction contractor at his country residence in Wonju, Gangwon Province between 2006 and 2008.
The National Police Agency (NPA) announced that it referred Kim, the construction businessman Yun Jung-cheon and 16 others to the prosecution, asking it to indict them on charges of rape and drug use, among others. However, police failed to charge them of taking and giving bribes because the five-year statute of limitation has expired.
"We concluded that Kim raped women hired by Yun during the parties based on testimonies by the women, a video clip recorded in the villa and documents which prove relationships between Kim and Yun," said the NPA in a statement.
Kim, along with several other high-profile figures, has also been under police investigation for allegedly using his power to influence several court cases in Yun's favor, after receiving sexual services from women hired by him.
Only six days after being appointed to the No. 2 position in the Justice Ministry in March, Kim offered to resign, following media reports that police had obtained video footage that allegedly shows an intimate rendezvous between influential figures, including Kim and the women, at Yun's luxury vacation home.
Kim denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the reports, but said he was resigning because he could no longer perform his job properly with his reputation tainted.
The police have asked Kim several times to appear for questioning, but he has repeatedly ignored the summons, citing health reasons. In June, the prosecution also rejected an arrest warrant for Kim.
Yun, who is at the center of the scandal, is suspected of offering lavish sexual favors to influential figures, including Kim, chief of a general hospital in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, and some high-ranking government officials, at his vacation home.
The contractor also came under suspicion of forcing several women to provide sexual services, after drugging them during the sex parties, officers said. He has been in detention since last week.
 |
Kim Hak-eui |
The National Police Agency (NPA) announced that it referred Kim, the construction businessman Yun Jung-cheon and 16 others to the prosecution, asking it to indict them on charges of rape and drug use, among others. However, police failed to charge them of taking and giving bribes because the five-year statute of limitation has expired.
"We concluded that Kim raped women hired by Yun during the parties based on testimonies by the women, a video clip recorded in the villa and documents which prove relationships between Kim and Yun," said the NPA in a statement.
Kim, along with several other high-profile figures, has also been under police investigation for allegedly using his power to influence several court cases in Yun's favor, after receiving sexual services from women hired by him.
Only six days after being appointed to the No. 2 position in the Justice Ministry in March, Kim offered to resign, following media reports that police had obtained video footage that allegedly shows an intimate rendezvous between influential figures, including Kim and the women, at Yun's luxury vacation home.
Kim denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the reports, but said he was resigning because he could no longer perform his job properly with his reputation tainted.
The police have asked Kim several times to appear for questioning, but he has repeatedly ignored the summons, citing health reasons. In June, the prosecution also rejected an arrest warrant for Kim.
Yun, who is at the center of the scandal, is suspected of offering lavish sexual favors to influential figures, including Kim, chief of a general hospital in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, and some high-ranking government officials, at his vacation home.
The contractor also came under suspicion of forcing several women to provide sexual services, after drugging them during the sex parties, officers said. He has been in detention since last week.
