Ex-spy agency chief indicted for bribery

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Won Sei-hoon Former NIS chief

Won Sei-hoon, the previous director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), was indicted Friday and physically detained on charges of receiving bribes from a businessman in return for peddling influence.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said that Won is behind bars on charges of receiving 170 million won in bribes from Hwang Bo-yeon, president of Hwangbo Construction.

Friday’s indictment came after an indictment without physical detention in June on charges of illegally meddling in the Dec. 19 presidential election. He is suspected of having ordered his agents to conduct a smear campaign against opposition candidates.

In July 2000, Hwang asked the then head of the spy agency to help Samsung Tesco build a Homeplus training center on the northwestern island of Mui-do by convincing the Korea Forest Service to ease regulations regarding the state territory.

In January 2010, Won also received 5.4 million won worth of jewelry from the contractor.

Hwang’s bribery started shortly after a proposal from Samsung Tesco proposal calling the construction of a 13,070 square-meter training center on the island which was then rejected by the forest service.

In March 2010, the forest service sold the territory to Samsung Tesco, with Hwangbo Construction being chosen as the builder of the training center.

The former spy agency chief is the first high-ranking official of the former Lee Myung-bak government to be put behind bars.