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Bribery Scandal May Cloud Korean 2000 Summit Legacy
SEOUL, South Korea -- Government auditors released evidence Thursday supporting allegations that a handsome bribe was paid to secure North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's acquiescence to a landmark summit in Pyongyang with South Korean President Kim Dae-jung.
The revelation in what has come to be known as the cash-for-summit scandal threatened to undermine the legacy of South Korea's Kim, who won a Nobel Peace Prize after the June 2000 summit, and to set back relations between the North and South.
"If it is exposed that the historic summit was bought and paid for, that would be a very serious matter for Koreans and for the world," said Lee Bu Young, an assemblyman with South Korea's conservative opposition party, which is calling for a special prosecutor to investigate further.
In the report released Thursday, the government board of audit and inspection confirmed the long-standing allegation that nearly $200 million of a corporate loan from a government-run bank was unaccounted for and most likely had gone to North Korea. The secret loan was made eight days before the summit to Hyundai Merchant Marine, a subsidiary of the giant Hyundai Group, which has worked closely with South Korea's Kim on various reconciliation projects.
Hyundai and the South Korean president have denied the allegation of a bribe.
The board said it did not have evidence that a crime was committed but that it would refer its findings to prosecutors if requested. Earlier this week, prosecutors barred 15 businesspeople and government figures involved in the case from leaving the country for the duration of the probe.
South Korea's Kim released a candid statement in which he called for an end to the criminal probe for the sake of peace. "If the money was spent on promoting South- North economic cooperation, for the sake of the national interest it is not desirable to make it a subject of judicial inquiry," he said.
The revelation in what has come to be known as the cash-for-summit scandal threatened to undermine the legacy of South Korea's Kim, who won a Nobel Peace Prize after the June 2000 summit, and to set back relations between the North and South.
"If it is exposed that the historic summit was bought and paid for, that would be a very serious matter for Koreans and for the world," said Lee Bu Young, an assemblyman with South Korea's conservative opposition party, which is calling for a special prosecutor to investigate further.
In the report released Thursday, the government board of audit and inspection confirmed the long-standing allegation that nearly $200 million of a corporate loan from a government-run bank was unaccounted for and most likely had gone to North Korea. The secret loan was made eight days before the summit to Hyundai Merchant Marine, a subsidiary of the giant Hyundai Group, which has worked closely with South Korea's Kim on various reconciliation projects.
Hyundai and the South Korean president have denied the allegation of a bribe.
The board said it did not have evidence that a crime was committed but that it would refer its findings to prosecutors if requested. Earlier this week, prosecutors barred 15 businesspeople and government figures involved in the case from leaving the country for the duration of the probe.
South Korea's Kim released a candid statement in which he called for an end to the criminal probe for the sake of peace. "If the money was spent on promoting South- North economic cooperation, for the sake of the national interest it is not desirable to make it a subject of judicial inquiry," he said.
How serious of a matter would this be for South Korea if the accusation is proven? Kim Dae-jung's call to end the criminal probe does seem to lend credence to the possibility.
Besides, that statement might actually make things harder on Roh. 
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