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SKOREA-POLITICS-BRIBERY-CORRUPTION
Ex-vice justice minister arrested for bribery in S. Korea
SEOUL, May 17, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A former South Korean vice justice minister
has been arrested on allegations of bribery, including being provided with
prostitutes by a construction contractor.
Kim Hak-ui is a former prosecutor who briefly served as the number two at
the justice ministry in 2013, during the administration of ousted former
president Park Geun-hye.
He is accused of accepting bribes worth 130 million won ($110,000) and
sexual entertainment on more than 100 occasions from businessman Yoon Jung-
cheon.
Kim was taken into custody late Thursday after the Seoul Central District
Court granted an arrest warrant, citing the possibility of “fleeing and
tampering with evidence”, according to South’s Yonhap news agency.
The scandal surrounding Kim has become notorious in the South, particular
due to the sexual element. He is also accused of receiving bribes worth 40
million won from another businessman.
Kim was appointed by Park in March 2013, but resigned a week later in a
storm of controversy.
He was investigated on allegations including rape and bribery but was
cleared due to lack of evidence.
Prosecutors launched a new inquiry earlier this year and Kim was stopped at
Incheon airport in March as he sought to fly to Bangkok with his face covered
with a cap and mask, raising suspicions he was trying to flee.
Kim has denied the allegations.
BSS/AFP/GMR/1028 hrs