Ex-Tourism Minister Sentenced to Jail

Former minister of Culture and Tourism Park Ji-won, who was the core point at issue regarding illegal money transfers to North Korea, was acquitted of receiving bribes of 15 billion won from Hyundai on May 25. But he was found guilty about violating the Inter-Korean Exchange Cooperation Law and was sentenced to prison.

The Seoul District High Court sentenced former minister Park, indicted of initiating illegal money transfers to North Korea, to three years in prison and to a 100 million won fine, and canceled his release on bail at the retrial of the overturned decision.

This will make it difficult for him to accompany former President Kim Dae-jung who is planning to visit North Korea again next month.

The judicial authorities, regarding the consul-examination statement that prosecutors presented to prove the guilty of receiving bribery for weapon dealer Kim Young-wan, said, “The testimony lacks evidence as Kim is a man who is likely to be responsible when the accused is acquitted,” and added “the statement is not credible at all.”

A consul-examination refers to the system where the testifier residing abroad hand in a statement at the Korean consul in the country he is in. The prosecutors had emphasized the importance of the statement in proving the former minister guilty of receiving bribes.

The judicial authorities found Park guilty of receiving 70 million won from SK Group and 30 million won from Kumho Group, respectively; of abuse of power in the money transfer to North Korea; and of violating the Inter-Korean Exchange Cooperation Law.

Soh Dong-gi, a lawyer on the side of Park “I’ll decide whether to apply for release of bail and to make an appeal to the Supreme Court after discussing it with former minister Park.”

Park has to spend about 24 months in prison in case he does not receive a release on bail, as he has already spent a year in prison.

Ji-Seong Jeon verso@donga.com