KT head office searched over political donations
By Kim Jae-heun
Police searched the headquarters and Gwanghwamun branch office of KT, Wednesday, over allegations the country’s No. 2 mobile carrier gave money to lawmakers through its executives.
The National Police Agency conducted a search and seizure at two offices starting 9:40 a.m. The agency said it will summon and investigate officials relevant to the case after analyzing the confiscated articles.
Police announced Tuesday they caught KT executives sponsoring lawmakers with gift cards through a KT subsidiary under the name of entertainment expenses. It is not illegal to purchase gift cards for entertainment purposes, but they can be resold for cash.
The Political Fund Law bans corporations from sponsoring lawmakers in Korea. To avoid breaching the law, KT allegedly sent gift cards through board members as if individuals sponsored the politicians.
According to rumors, the company lobbied lawmakers to prevent its chairman, Hwang Chang-gyu, from being selected as a witness for a National Assembly inspection in October 2016.
“We received information on the case at the end of last year and launched an investigation immediately,” the police said. “We are further investigating the exact amount of the gift cards given to lawmakers and who received them.”
This morning, Hwang visited KT’s promotional center in Gangneung, a sub-host city of the Olympics, to celebrate the successful installation of the world’s first fifth-generation (5G) network service at the games. KT is an official partner of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Around 150 officials of participating companies and reporters gathered to attend the opening of the promotional center.
After the opening ceremony ended, reporters gathered around Hwang to ask about the probe, but he did not respond to their questions.
Hwang allegedly heard news of the police search of his company while en route to Gangneung by KTX train from Seoul. The chairman arrived 10 minutes late to the ceremony and kept a straight face the whole time.