Main opposition party mired in money-for-candidacy row

By Lee Tae-hoon

Officials of the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) Wednesday denied bribery allegations involving its floor leader Park Jie-won, saying their party is considering lawsuits against prosecutors and media outlets for allegedly spreading “malicious rumors.”

“We are reviewing whether to file lawsuits over false accusations that Park took money in exchange for influence peddling in nominating candidates ahead of the April National Assembly elections,” Rep. Kim Hyun, a spokeswoman of the DUP, said.

She alleged that prosecutors are feeding groundless information to reporters to water down a money-for-candidacy scandal involving the governing Saenuri Party.

The move came as conservative newspapers, including the Chosun Ilbo, raised suspicions by citing prosecution sources that Rep. Park exercised undue influence to help lawmakers-aspirants win the DUP’s nominations in return for money.

Park has been facing suspicions of bribery since prosecutors sought arrest warrants for Yang Kyeong-suk, former head of the Internet radio station Radio 21, early this week.

Yang was apprehended Tuesday on charges of taking bribes in return for promising three lawmaker hopefuls to secure parliamentary seats through her ties to him.

The three hopefuls, who have been found to have handed some 3.28 billion won ($2.89 million) to Yang, have also been arrested for their role in the money-for-nomination scandal.

“We issued a warning to the Chosun Ilbo,” Kim said. “It will be a matter of time to find out whether the media outlet intentionally distorted facts or prosecutors leaked false information to make it produce misleading reports.”

The Chosun Ilbo, which boasts the largest circulation in the country, reported Wednesday that prosecutors have secured a document that reveals Yang’s transferring of 60 million won to a bank account of the DUP in late March.

Kim flatly denied the party’s receipt of the money, but acknowledged a media report that Park exchanged numerous text messages with Yang.

“Park used to exchange text messages with Yang, but he never discussed any matter regarding candidate nomination with her,” she said, adding that the DUP was aware of the scandal a month prior to prosecutors’ arrest of her.

Kim noted that the DUP learned that the three hopefuls were furious because the DUP did not nominate them despite having delivered kickbacks to Yang, but decided not to meddle in the case.

Yang admitted to receiving money from them, but insisted that it was an investment for her Internet business, not a bribe.

Meanwhile, Rep. Woo Won-shik, spokesman for Park, refuted allegations that the DUP floor leader sent a text message to one of the three hopefuls in February to express his backing for a lawmaker seat.

The text message, allegedly sent at 2:36 p.m. on Feb. 9, suggests that Park assured his support for Lee Yang-ho, head of an organization affiliated with a Seoul district office.

“Park boarded a plane at 2 p.m. on Feb. 9, 2012 that flew from Gwangju to Gimpo,” he said, noting that it would have been physically impossible for Park to have sent such a message.

Woo claimed that prosecutors are trying to divert the public’s attention from their investigation into a money-for-nomination scandal involving two members of the ruling Saenuri Party, including Rep. Hyun Young-hee.

The lawmaker is suspected of having secured a proportional representative seat in the April elections after paying 300 million won to Hyun Ki-hwan, then a member of a party committee responsible for nominating candidates.