Court finds Rep. Kweon not guilty in hiring irregularities scandal

Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party enters the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho, Seoul, Monday to stand trial over his alleged exercise of influence in a hiring irregularity scandal at a state-run casino operator. / Yonhap

By Kim Jae-heun

A local court has cleared Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) of alleged power abuse and obstruction of business in a hiring irregularity scandal at a state-run casino operator.

The Seoul Central District Court said Monday the prosecution cannot prove the charges against Kweon, who was indicted for exercising his influence in recruitment at Kangwon Land.

The ruling contradicts an earlier verdict for former Kangwon Land CEO Choi Hung-jib, who was found guilty of illegally hiring people there at Kweon's request.

Between December 2012 and April 2013, Kweon allegedly asked Choi to hire 11 of his acquaintances including interns who worked as secretaries at his office in Yeouido, Seoul.

Upon Choi's order, officials at Kangwon Land's human resource team fabricated the results of the applicants' aptitude tests and interviews leading to the hiring of Kweon's acquaintances. The prosecution charged Kweon for obstruction of business.

The lawmaker was also suspected of accepting Choi's request to help the company easily pass the government audit at the end of 2013 and in return having his former secretary surnamed Kim hired at the casino operator.

Kweon further allegedly abused his power to force officials at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to appoint his high school friend as an outside director at a ministry-affiliated organization. The lawmaker's friend reportedly helped him during his election campaign.

Earlier this year, the Chuncheon District Court sentenced Choi to three years in prison for unfairly hiring employees at the request of Kweon and other politicians.

The prosecution previously requested the court to hand a three-year jail term for Kweon as his alleged actions are serious enough to damage the foundation of a fair society. It also requested one year in prison for another friend of Kweon's, who works at the casino's resort, on the same charges.

During the hearings, Kweon argued that the prosecution has been overreaching to enforce his indictment to defeat an “influential lawmaker from the opposition party” in an act of “political revenge.”

Claiming the prosecutors' investigation was fabricated, he claimed that he neither played an influencing role in the recruitment process at Kangwon Land nor received any request from the parents of the 11 people who got jobs at the casino. Kweon also denied he did not take part in inventing scores during the recruitment.

Regarding the employment of his former secretary Kim at the casino operator, the lawmaker said it is the result of individual effort and he further claimed he did not intervene in the audit of Kangwon Land.