By Jung Min-ho
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| Pagoda Education Group President Park Kyung-sil |
Police are investigating allegations that Pagoda Education Group President Park Kyung-sil plotted to kill a relative of her estranged husband Go In-kyung.Park is in the process of divorcing Go.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency told The Korea Times, Tuesday, that it may seek an arrest warrant for Park, who has so far rejected summons for questioning.According to investigators, in August last year Park allegedly paid her driver to kill one of Go's relatives who had frequently advised him on business matters.However, the driver did not carry out the murder; and he has been questioned by police several times.Founded in 1969 in Jongno, the Pagoda Academy has grown to become one of the biggest private education companies in Korea. It now runs nine branches nationwide, and in 2012 generated 80 billion won ($74 million) in revenue.Police searched the headquarters of Pagoda in southern Seoul in February after a tip-off. They did not reveal how much Park paid the driver.Lee Jung-hwan, Park's lawyer, denied the allegations, claiming that his client gave the driver the money to find and hire a new legal representative for business matters."We explained to the police that she would not be immediately available because of the upcoming election for the Korea Association of Hagwon (KAH)," Lee said."It also overlaps with the schedule for another legal case."In this case, police are investigating claims that last year Park gave 1 billion won ($926,354) to a middleman identified as Seo to allegedly bribe officers investigating her for embezzlement and breach of duty.However, on Jan. 6 she was found guilty of the charges by Seoul Central District Court and sentenced to 18 months in prison suspended for two years.The focus of the current probe is to figure out whether Seo actually bribed police on her instructions.Park and Go, the former Pagoda Education Group president, were married in 1979.Their divorce case has been ongoing since March 2012.Park has led the Korea Association of Hagwon (private learning institutes), which has more than 50,000 private institutions under its wing, since 2011.Some of its members held a demonstration Friday, urging her to drop her candidacy for the election today.According to the laws governing the running of hagwon, people found guilty of criminal acts cannot run such institutions until the terms of their sentences have been completed.
서울중앙지검 형사1부(정수봉 부장검사)는 박경실(59) 파고다아카데미 대표가 횡령 및 배임 혐의로 수사를 받던 중 사건무마 청탁과 함께 브로커에게 거액을 건넸다는 첩보를 입수해 수사하고 있다고 24일 밝혔다.
검찰 등에 따르면 박 대표는 자신에 대한 수사를 무마해 달라는 청탁과 함께 브로커 서모씨에게 수억원을 전달했다는 의혹을 받고 있다.
지난해 말 다른 사기 사건으로 기소돼 재판을 받고 있는 브로커 서씨는 검찰에서 청탁과 관련한 의혹을 부인한 것으로 전해졌다.
검찰은 '(사건무마 청탁과 관련한) 첩보가 접수돼 수사 중인 것은 맞지만 아직 구체적 혐의가 확인된 바는 없다'고 설명했다.
검찰은 관련자 조사 등을 통해 박 대표가 서씨에게 돈을 건넸는지, 서씨가 실제 로 돈을 받았다면 경찰 등 수사 관계자에게 흘러들어간 정황이 있는지 등을 확인해 박 대표에 대한 사법처리 여부를 결정할 방침이다.
앞서 검찰은 2005년 어학원 주주총회 회의록을 꾸며 회삿돈 10억원을 빼돌린 혐의로 박 대표를 지난해 1월 불구속 기소했다.
박 대표는 또 각종 대출을 받으면서 어학원을 연대보증인으로 내세워 200억원대 손해를 끼친 등 혐의로 지난해 6월 추가 기소됐다.
한편 서울 서초경찰서는 박 대표가 전 운전기사를 시켜 경영권 분쟁과 이혼 소송을 벌이고 있는 고인경(70) 전 회장의 측근을 살해하라고 지시한 혐의(살인예비음모)와 관련해 지난주 박 대표에게 소환을 통보했다고 말했다.
경찰은 '박 대표가 아직 출석하지 않고 있다'며 '다음 주까지 출석하지 않으면 체포영장을 신청할 수밖에 없다'고 말했다.
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