By Yi Whan-woo
Prosecutors arrested a ranking official of the state-run nuclear power plant operator Thursday on charges of taking bribes from subcontractors in return for business favors.
The Ulsan District Prosecutors’ Office identified the suspect as a Kim, a vice president of the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP).
Kim, 55, is the highest KHNP official ever to be apprehended on corruption charges.
Investigators raided Kim’s office in Seoul, Tuesday, to obtain evidence on the exact amount of cash he took from subcontractors.
He is one of the company’s third-highest ranking officials following the president and executive directors, according to the prosecution. He is in charge of human resources management at the company. In the past he headed its audit office.
Prosecutors suspect Kim of abusing his authority to put pressure on local plants to sign deals with some subcontractors that had allegedly gave him cash to do so. They also claimed that he may have offered part of the bribes to his supervisors to keep them quiet about the corruption.
The KHNP said it is watching the case closely and will dismiss Kim from his position if the bribery allegations are true.
The prosecution said it has kept a close eye on Kim since May when it arrested a broker, surnamed Yun, who allegedly lobbied on behalf of a number of sub-contractors. The broker confessed during questioning that he has connections with a KHNP high official.
“We have not found out whether Yun had any relations with Kim yet, but considering Kim’s status at the company, we believe there must be a connection between the two,” an investigator said.
The prosecution has intensively looked into dubious deals between KHNP officials and subcontractors following an incident at the Gori-1 nuclear power plant in Busan in February.
Public concern has risen over the safety of nuclear power plants and more so after it was found out that employees of the troubled plant in Busan took money from subcontractors in exchange for the purchase of their products, including faulty or recycled parts.