Kwak Sang-do, a former member of the People’s Strength Council, was eventually summoned to the prosecution for questioning. Prosecutors are paying attention to whether Pandora’s box will open, such as calling the key figures in the illegal lobby of Hwacheon Daeyu, a Daejang-dong development company.
However, the prosecution is known to have secretly summoned and investigated former lawmaker Kwak and former Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soon-il. The arrested Hwacheon Daeyu major shareholder Kim Man-bae, former Deputy Director of Money Today, and Nam Wook, a lawyer, were all quite different from brief Q&A with reporters when they appeared at the prosecution. In response, the prosecution explained that there was no public summons because the original summons information was not disclosed to the media, but reporters seem to be covering the first floor in time for the appearance of the suspects.
On the morning of the 27th, the investigation team in charge of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office summoned Kwak Sang-do, a former lawmaker, to investigate. On the same day, several media outlets reported that Kwak’s summons and investigation were reported, and the public affairs officer of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said, “It doesn’t seem to be different from the facts reported.”
Former lawmaker Kwak has been accused of exerting influence to maintain the Hana Bank consortium at the request of former Deputy Director Kim Man-bae when the Hana Bank Consortium, which includes Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, was in danger of collapse during the Daejang-dong development project in 2015. According to the Seoul Shimbun, Segye Ilbo, and YTN, Company B, which was the parent company of Company A participating in the Korea Development Bank consortium, which was a competitor, proposed to Chairman Kim Jung-tae of Hana Financial Group to cancel the consortium and join the Korea Development Bank consortium. It is suspected that he had asked a former lawmaker to mediate so that the Hana Bank consortium was maintained rather than destroyed. Former Rep. Kwak, former Deputy Director Kim Man-bae, and Chairman Kim Jeong-tae are Sungkyunkwan University alumni.
When asked whether such information was being investigated, the public affairs officer of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said, “It is difficult to confirm the suspicion or identity of the case under investigation.” He did not deny the report regarding the investigation.
On the 8th of last month, Kwak’s side said, “Former lawmaker Kwak Sang-do was serving as the chairman of the Legal Aid Corporation in June 2015, and at this time, the Daejang-dong project was distributed to the media before and after the court cited the prosecution’s request for the preservation of the account of Kwak’s son. Licensing is a matter completely unrelated to the job,” he said.
In addition, it was pointed out that a private summons was made because the scene of his appearance was not disclosed to the media in relation to former lawmaker Kwak Sang-do, who was summoned and investigated by the prosecution on the same day. On the 27th, YTN reported in the news, “Ex-Rep. Kwak attended privately and was not captured by media cameras.” This is in contrast to former deputy director Kim Man-bae and lawyer Nam Wook, who had brief conversations with reporters when they appeared at the prosecution.
There are also questions about whether the key figures in the Daejang-dong lobbying allegations, such as former Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soon-il, who are being summoned and investigated together with Kwak on the same day, blocked the opportunity to contact reporters themselves.
Accordingly, the prosecution explained that there was no public summons from the beginning. The public affairs officer of the Seoul Central Prosecutor’s Office said, “There is no public summons because information about the summons related to the case is not disclosed.” I think I will check them out,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the presence of former lawmaker Kwak Sang-do at the prosecutor’s office on the same day, the Democratic Party of Korea urged the investigation to be swift, saying that Pandora’s box had been opened.
In a commentary on the afternoon of the same day, senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination committee, Yo Yong-jin Lee Jae-myung, said, “The prosecution must reveal the truth of the Hwacheon Daeyu corruption through a thorough and speedy investigation into former special prosecutor Park Young-soo and former lawmaker Kwak Sang-do.” In response to the summons of Kwak, the senior spokesman said, “After being investigated whether or not Kwak requested a portion of the profits from Kim Man-bae or whether he exercised influence in the process of forming the consortium, 5 billion won was confirmed, so an arrest warrant will be issued soon. “The Pandora’s box has been opened, and the important thing is to make a quick decision.”
