VIDEO Lawmaker brags illegal influence on prosecutor

By Park Si-soo

In Korea, the rich and powerful often avoid the punishment they deserve for a crime. Newly revealed video footage shows how it can happen.

The controversial footage ― recorded in March 2014 and revealed on Friday ― shows lawmaker Kim Jae-won of the opposition Liberty Korea Party publicly boasting about how he influenced a prosecutor to reduce punishment for his friend, who had been involved in a DUI hit-and-run accident.

In the video, referring to a DUI case involving former vice agriculture minister Kim Joo-soo, the lawmaker claimed the light punishment was because of a speech he gave.

To watch: https://bit.ly/2tkoyt7

“In 2005, Kim, who was running for Uiseong-gun county governor, was involved in a DUI accident after drinking alcohol to relieve his loneliness after stepping down from the vice minister's position,” the prosecutor-turned-lawmaker proudly told Kim's supporters.

“You know, I was a prosecutor. So I made a phone call to a prosecutor who was handling the case and asked for light punishment, explaining my close relationship with him. The prosecutor accepted it and closed the case with a fine.”

In fact, Kim was involved in a DUI hit-and-run accident on Aug. 26, 2005. His car crossed the center line and collided head-on with another car. Kim had a blood alcohol level of 0.154 percent, which could result in his driver's license being canceled and heavy punishment. But the case was closed with a 10 million won ($9,030) fine.

After the accident, Kim was elected as Uiseong governor in 2005 and re-elected in the June 12 local elections.

Amid the controversy, the lawmaker denied the accusations, saying they were “nothing more than a pep talk.” He refused to elaborate.