Six Former Reps. Involved in Special Treatment for Apt. Purchase

In relation to `Bundang Park View Apartment special sales allegation,` the prosecution obtained a list of 130 applicants on May 5 including former and incumbent Reps., officials, judges, prosecutors, employees of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), journalists, and their families and relatives. The prosecution is investigating the relationship of the applicants with real owners, the application circumstances, and the sources of application funds.

The prosecution is known to have summoned former NIS second deputy director Kim Eun-Sung who raised allegations of special application treatment in the apartment sales in a written petition to the court to investigate the issue.

Former deputy director Kim reportedly stated to the prosecution, `The special treatment in application is true, and I know that approximately thirty people have cancelled the contracts as I passed the list of special applicants to subordinates who then contacted the applicants.`

The prosecution is actively reviewing whether to transfer the complaint and accusation case filed by a civic group in Seongnam City, Kyounggi-Do in relation to the special treatment in application of Park View apartment and land usage change of Baekgung- Chungja area to the special investigative office of the Seoul District Public Prosecutor`s Office or the central investigative office of the High Public Prosecutor`s Office from the Suwon District Public Prosecutor`s Office.

The wife of Rep. Kim Ok-Du of the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) is known to have included in the concerned list, and five former and incumbent Reps. including a former Rep P of the Grand National Party (GNP) are known to have received special treatments under the names of relatives.

The wife of Rep. Kim received a special sales treatment when she applied for 78 Pyoung-apartment in March last year, but she cancelled it two months later. Rep. Kim side explained, ` She was granted the apartment purchase right by the first-come first-serve basis through normal procedures, but she had to cancel the contract as the interim payment was too burdensome for her.

Former Rep. P currently owns 78 Pyoung type-apartment following the application permits in April last year. In the list, eight people including judges, prosecutors, and their relatives, and several journalists are allegedly enlisted.

Planning committee chairman of Seonganm Citizens` Group, counselor Lee Jae-Myung, claimed, ` In a report that NIS made in relation to the allegation of land usage change in Baekgung-Chungja area in late 1999, Rep. Kim is implicated in involving land usage change process in relation to the supply of political funds to the ruling camp.`

In other hand, NIS is known to have made a list of 130 people who had special permits and to have reported it to the Blue House in April last year, right after the application permits of Park View apartment was over. This report is a different report to a 1999 report of NIS that included the allegation of land usage change of Baekgung-Cheongja area, which is claimed by counselor Lee. But according to the content of the former report, real power holders of the ruling camp, related persons of law enforcement agencies, and high-level officials wielded some influence in the process of land usage change and received special treatment in return.

A senior prosecutor in the Seongnam Branch Office of the Suwon District Public Prosecutor`s Office that has jurisdiction over Baekgung-Cheongja area, prosecutors born in certain region, a vice minister level official and a first level official of a certain ministry, and a vice minister, an assistant vice minister, and a chief of a bureau in another ministry are reportedly enlisted in the report as special treatment beneficiaries.

At that time, NIS second deputy director Kim Eun-Sung reportedly set up a special team to investigate about the special applications, made a complete report, and then reported it to President Kim Dae-Jung.

Myoung-Gun Lee gun43@donga.com · Ki-Jeong Ko koh@donga.com