Kim Min-seok Faces Arrest for Bribery
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Rep. Kim Min-seok of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) faces arrest on suspicion of bribery.
The Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Kim, Friday. He is a member of the DP's decision-making Supreme Council.
``It's believed that he had committed a crime, while he is very likely to flee or cover up evidence. In addition, he did not cooperate with the prosecution in probing the case,'' judge Kim Yong-sang said.
Kim is suspected of having received 450 million ($323,500) in illegal political funds from two businessmen ahead of the general elections in April.
The lawmaker admitted that he had taken the money but insisted that the money was just aid from his acquaintances with no strings attached.
The issuance came after Kim rejected several summons from the prosecution for investigation.
Five investigators visited the DP headquarters Wednesday to summon him but failed as party staff blocked them from entering the building, claiming it a political persecution against an opposition member.
``We will soon visit the headquarters to arrest him,'' a prosecutor said.
DP spokesman Choi Jae-sung hit the Lee Myung-bak administration for mobilizing prosecutors, for political suppression of the opposition party. ``We will resist the summons,'' Choi added.
Last month, three opposition parties ㅡ Democratic Party (DP), Democratic Labor Party (DLP) and Renewal of Korea Party (ROKP) ㅡ jointly vowed to fight against what they call political suppression against the opposition by the government and the ruling Grand National Party as the prosecution launched an investigation into Kim and DLP Chairman Kang Ki-kab for alleged violation of the Election Law.