The ruling party chief said Monday he will cooperate with a possible prosecution probe into the campaign finances of the 2012 presidential election amid a snowballing corruption scandal.
Kim Moo-sung, chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party, made the comment in a meeting with key party officials at the National Assembly, saying that he was in charge of the presidential election and there were no illegal campaign funds.
He also pressed the opposition party to accept a prosecution probe into campaign finances for the presidential election.
The comments came a day after President Park Geun-hye called for a thorough investigation into the corruption scandal involving some of her close aides and key politicians.
Park said she hopes the prosecution will strictly deal with the allegations without providing sanctuary, in accordance with the law and principles.
Prosecutors have formed a special team to investigate the scandal sparked by a “bribery list” left behind by an embattled businessman at the center of the corruption scandal who committed suicide last week.
A brief memo found in the pants pocket of Sung Wan-jong, the former head of a mid-size construction company, dropped a bombshell on South Korean politics.
Listed on the memo are the names of eight heavyweight politicians and won figures next to them, indicating that the money was delivered.
The memo showed that 200 million won ($182,000) was handwritten next to Hong Moon-jong, a ruling party lawmaker who served as Park’s campaign manager in the 2012 presidential election.
Also Monday, Park’s two former chiefs of staff — Huh Tae-yeol and Kim Ki-choon — pledged that they will cooperate with a prosecution probe into the corruption scandal.
The memo also showed 700 million won written next to Huh’s name while $100,000 was written next to Kim’s name, along with the date of Sept. 26, 2006.
Sung had claimed in a telephone interview with a newspaper just before his suicide that he gave $100,000 to Kim at a Seoul hotel in September 2006, around the time that Kim accompanied Park on a visit to Belgium and Germany.
The eight politicians include Huh and Kim, as well as Park’s current chief of staff, Lee Byung-kee, Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo and Hong. No won figures were written next to Park’s current chief and the prime minister. (Yonhap)
