Ex-President Roh’s aide dies at 60

By Na Jeong-ju

Changshin Textile Chairman Kang Keum-won, one of the strongest supporters of late former President Roh Moo-hyun, died of a brain tumor around 9 p.m. Thursday at Asan Medical Center in Seoul. He was 60.

Kang maintained close relationship with Roh until he committed suicide in June 2009 amid an intensifying prosecution investigation into a bribery scandal involving his aides.

Their relationship dates back to 1998 when Roh ran for a by-election in Jongno, Seoul, to become a lawmaker. Kang visited Roh’s campaign office and donated political funds to Roh, who was suffering from financial difficulties.

After that time, he remained a strong supporter of Roh. He even paid Roh’s debts, amounting to some 3 billion won, in 2003, months after Roh was elected to the presidency.

However, he engaged in a series of scandals throughout the Roh administration.

In 2004, Kang was sentenced to a four-year suspended jail sentence and fined 1.5 billion won on charges of tax evasion. The conviction was related to a property sale in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, carried out under false names in order to give 1.9 billion won to Roh’s aides. He also reportedly managed 1.7 billion won of illegal political funds that belonged to presidential aides. Kang was pardoned the following year.

Kang was arrested in 2006 for tax evasion and keeping illegal political funds, but pardoned again in the same year.

Even after Roh’s retirement in 2008, Kang is known to have visited his home in Bongha Village in South Gyeongsang Province, twice a week. To support Roh’s after-retirement activities, Kang set up a company with 7 billion won. However, he was investigated in 2009 on suspicions of bribery and embezzlement.

Kang was diagnosed with a tumor and received an operation in 2007.

Roh once recalled that his friendship with Kang was special. He even officiated the wedding of Kang’s daughter.

His funeral will take place at Asan Medical Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on Saturday.