Ex-spy chief accused of taking bribe from builder

By Kim Jae-won

Former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Won Sei-hoon is suspected of accepting bribes from a builder in return for peddling influence, prosecution sources said Friday.

He is suspected of helping Hwangbo Engineering & Construction win at least three orders worth 13.6 billion won in total from the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Won, a former vice mayor of Seoul under Lee Myung-bak, had worked for the capital city in various roles for three decades before he moved to the NIS in 2006.

Hwangbo Yeon, CEO of the construction firm, allegedly provided the gifts to clinch construction projects from the Seoul government. The company won three deals _ the Dongdaemun Stadium dismantle in 2007, Design Plaza construction in 2009 and the Munrae High-level Road dismantle in 2010.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office seized documents during a raid on the NIS last month last month. Among these was a list of gifts, including luxury bags, clothes and gold worth tens of millions of won, given to Won by Hwangbo. The prosecution raided the agency over its alleged interference in the presidential election last December.

Indictment without detention

The former NIS chief, also a close aide of former President Lee Myung-bak, has been accused of ordering agents to post a slew of politically sensitive comments on the Internet in order to sway public opinion in favor of the ruling party candidate prior to the Dec. 19 election.

Meanwhile, prosecutors said on Friday that they are still undecided over whether to seek an arrest warrant for Won.

The prosecution office probing the case has not yet concluded whether Won systemically and extensively intervened in domestic politics in violation of the Public Officials Election Act.

Accusations of wrongdoing by NIS agents surfaced during the presidential election. The main opposition Democratic United Party accused the agency of trying to influence online debates in favor of President Park Geun-hye, the ruling party’s candidate at the time. She eventually won the election in December.

In April, Seoul’s Suseo Police Station, which investigated the case for four months, announced that at least two NIS agents allegedly posted comments online criticizing the opposition ahead of the election.

But police said that they could not determine whether the two were part of a much bigger operation by the leadership of the agency to influence the election, as the opposition party alleged.

Won formerly served as first vice-mayor for Seoul when former President Lee was its mayor. He played a leading role in Lee’s major projects such as the restoration of Cheonggye Stream in central Seoul, the redevelopment of run-down residential areas, and the restructuring of the public transportation system.

Won also served as minister of public administration and security during the Lee Myung-bak administration.