By Kang Seung-woo
Woo Byung-woo, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, denied a media report, Monday, that he allegedly brokered a sale of high-priced real estate owned by his sisters-in-law to online game company Nexon in 2011.
The report came after Jin Kyung-joon, a senior prosecutor, was put behind bars for taking bribes from the company.
Jin was arrested Sunday on suspicion of taking a bribe of 425 million won ($374,000) from the game company in 2005 and amassing some 12 billion won in profits through shady stock transactions by 2015. Nexon CEO Kim Jung-ju and Jin are Woo's Seoul National University alumni.
According to the Chosun Ilbo, Monday, Woo's father-in-law, who died in July 2008, handed down his real estate near Gangnam Station to his four daughters. They wanted to sell it to pay inheritance tax of roughly 50 billion won, but could not find a buyer for two years. Woo, then-senior prosecutor, asked Jin to help Nexon purchase the real estate, so they could sell it for 132.5 billion won in March 2011, according to the report.
Following the purchase, Nexon announced that it would build a new office there although its office building was under construction in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province.
However, the online game developer sold it in July 2012 after additionally purchasing land next to the real estate bought from Woo's in-laws.
Later in the day, Woo filed a defamation suit against a Chosun Ilbo reporter who wrote the article along with a compensation suit against the newspaper. In addition, the senior secretary filed a petition with the Press Arbitration Commission.
"The Chosun Ilbo alleged that Jin brokered Nexon's purchase of real estate from my in-laws, but I was never involved in the transaction," Woo said in a statement.
"In addition, I have never met or talked with the Nexon CEO, and a local real estate agency called us first."
Woo also said that the real estate deal was legitimate.
"If I had asked Jin about the sale, I should have met Kim at least once. In addition, my in-laws paid 1 billion won in real estate brokerage fees and they still have the tax invoice," he said.
The civil affairs secretary criticized the Chosun Ilbo for its failure in fact-checking.
"It raised groundless speculation without verifying if it was true from me or my in-laws," Woo said.
Nexon also said the report was not true.
"When purchasing the real estate, we did not know personal information of the owner and the owner's family members," it said, adding that the purchase was made based on its cheaper price than that of others in the neighborhood.
In the wake of the report, the opposition parties attacked Woo and called for an apology from President Park Geun-hye.
"Woo and his aides who seize power through the government are ruining the country and they must be removed more than anything else," said People's Party floor leader Park Jie-won.
Kim Chong-in, the interim leader of the Minjoo Party of Korea, said, "President Park should reshuffle her Cabinet and senior secretaries as soon as possible and apologize for the allegation to ease public anger."
In response to the allegation, Justice Minister Kim Hyun-woong told lawmakers that the prosecution will review the necessity to investigate it if his ministry uncovers any evidence of criminal behavior.
Meanwhile, the minister said he had not offered to resign following Jin's arrest, denying local media reports.
"Taking the current situation seriously, my duty is to uncover the truth of the case and make efforts to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents," he said, apologizing for Jin's wrongdoings for the second straight day.
Jin is the first senior prosecutor in the 68-year history of nation's current prosecution system to be put behind bars while in office.
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| Woo Byung-woo |
The report came after Jin Kyung-joon, a senior prosecutor, was put behind bars for taking bribes from the company.
Jin was arrested Sunday on suspicion of taking a bribe of 425 million won ($374,000) from the game company in 2005 and amassing some 12 billion won in profits through shady stock transactions by 2015. Nexon CEO Kim Jung-ju and Jin are Woo's Seoul National University alumni.
According to the Chosun Ilbo, Monday, Woo's father-in-law, who died in July 2008, handed down his real estate near Gangnam Station to his four daughters. They wanted to sell it to pay inheritance tax of roughly 50 billion won, but could not find a buyer for two years. Woo, then-senior prosecutor, asked Jin to help Nexon purchase the real estate, so they could sell it for 132.5 billion won in March 2011, according to the report.
Following the purchase, Nexon announced that it would build a new office there although its office building was under construction in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province.
However, the online game developer sold it in July 2012 after additionally purchasing land next to the real estate bought from Woo's in-laws.
Later in the day, Woo filed a defamation suit against a Chosun Ilbo reporter who wrote the article along with a compensation suit against the newspaper. In addition, the senior secretary filed a petition with the Press Arbitration Commission.
"The Chosun Ilbo alleged that Jin brokered Nexon's purchase of real estate from my in-laws, but I was never involved in the transaction," Woo said in a statement.
"In addition, I have never met or talked with the Nexon CEO, and a local real estate agency called us first."
Woo also said that the real estate deal was legitimate.
"If I had asked Jin about the sale, I should have met Kim at least once. In addition, my in-laws paid 1 billion won in real estate brokerage fees and they still have the tax invoice," he said.
The civil affairs secretary criticized the Chosun Ilbo for its failure in fact-checking.
"It raised groundless speculation without verifying if it was true from me or my in-laws," Woo said.
Nexon also said the report was not true.
"When purchasing the real estate, we did not know personal information of the owner and the owner's family members," it said, adding that the purchase was made based on its cheaper price than that of others in the neighborhood.
In the wake of the report, the opposition parties attacked Woo and called for an apology from President Park Geun-hye.
"Woo and his aides who seize power through the government are ruining the country and they must be removed more than anything else," said People's Party floor leader Park Jie-won.
Kim Chong-in, the interim leader of the Minjoo Party of Korea, said, "President Park should reshuffle her Cabinet and senior secretaries as soon as possible and apologize for the allegation to ease public anger."
In response to the allegation, Justice Minister Kim Hyun-woong told lawmakers that the prosecution will review the necessity to investigate it if his ministry uncovers any evidence of criminal behavior.
Meanwhile, the minister said he had not offered to resign following Jin's arrest, denying local media reports.
"Taking the current situation seriously, my duty is to uncover the truth of the case and make efforts to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents," he said, apologizing for Jin's wrongdoings for the second straight day.
Jin is the first senior prosecutor in the 68-year history of nation's current prosecution system to be put behind bars while in office.
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