hankyoreh

By Ahn Chang-hyun, Staff Writer　

Former National Tax Service (NTS) Commissioner Han Sang-yool, 58, made a sudden return to South Korea on Thursday twenty-three months after his abrupt departure for the United States on March 15, 2009, in the wake of bribery allegations. Prosecutors plan to summon him for questioning on Feb. 28. Han was accused of giving a high-priced painting to former NTS Commissioner Jeon Goon-pyo, lobbying for reappointment with powerful administration figures, and abusing his authority during an audit of Taekwang Industrial.

The Ministry of Justice provided notification to the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office following the arrival of Han, for whom a “notify upon entry” order was in effect. The office’s second special investigations division, under Chief Prosecutor Choe Yun-su, subsequently contacted Han’s counsel and set a date for the summons. The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) made the accusations against Han in June 2009, but there was no progress in the investigation, since Han refused to return to the country.

An official with the prosecutors indicated that they plan to resolve the investigation quickly, saying, “The questioning of witnesses has been completed in the absence of the individual in question.”

Regarding claims by former Seoul Regional Tax Office tax source management bureau head Ahn Won-gu that he was pressured to resign by Han after seeing a statement indicating President Lee Myung-bak’s ownership of a controversial plot of land in Seoul’s Dogok neighborhood, a prosecution official said that this too was “included in the complaint” and that the prosecutors would “calmly investigate the accusations that were presented and judge the presence or absence of charges.”

Allegations of improprieties involving Han surfaced in late 2008 when information came to light about an inappropriate golf meeting with an associate of Grand National Party lawmaker Lee Sang-deuk and President Lee Myung-bak’s brother-in-law. In January 2009, additional allegations surfaced about Han’s lobbying for an appointment with former NTS commissioner Jeon Goon-pyo. Han resigned his post, but the Cheong Wa Dae, which announced after its initial fact-finding examination that it would be requesting an investigation, let the matter pass without taking any additional measures, and prosecutors declined to pursue an investigation, saying they had received no word from the Cheong Wa Dae. It was during this period that Han abruptly left to study in the U.S.

Han’s abrupt return has left the political world in a tumult. If speculation of involvement by powerful ruling party figures, previously the subject of rumor and circumstantial claims, are proven factual, the repercussions will be considerable. To date, there have been persistent allegations among politicians that Han connected with the so-called “Big Brother line” and that powerful figures in the ruling party assisted his flight when the illegal lobbying allegations surfaced.

At the moment, the most sensitive area is the speculation of involvement by ruling Grand National Party (GNP) Lawmaker Lee Sang-deuk, President Lee Myung-bak’s older brother. Lee Sang-deuk has previously been pointed to as the driving force behind incidents attributed to the “Yeong-Po Society,” a group of powerful ruling party figures based in the Yeongil and Pohang areas, including the illegal surveillance of civilians by the Prime Minister’s Office and the use of “daepo phones” registered under stolen names and provided by the Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House). Given continuing speculation about friction surrounding personnel appointment issues within the GNP’s pro-Lee Myung-bak contingent, the incident stands a strong chance of providing ammunition for an attack on Lee Sang-deuk.

A whirlwind could also strike the pro-Lee Myung-bak camp, which represents the mainstream of the GNP. A junior GNP lawmaker on the opposite side of Lee Sang-deuk said, “The outcome will depend on the prosecutors’ approach to the investigation.”

“Since there is talk even among the prosecutors about ‘being too easy on the administration,’ we will have to just see how the prosecutors’ investigation progresses,” the lawmaker added.

Meanwhile, the DP has made efforts to pressure the prosecutors. Previously, the party lodged an accusation with the prosecutors charging Han with abuse of authority, contending that he contributed to the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun by expressly ordering a special tax audit on Taekwang Industrial.

In a telephone interview with the Hankyoreh on Thursday, DP floor leader Park Jie-won said, “It appears that Han Sang-yool returned to South Korea now after his flight overseas [under government protection] because the [Taekwang Industrial CEO] Park Yeon-cha case had effectively come to a close.”

Park’s recent call in a National Assembly negotiation group representative’s speech for Lee Sang-deuk to leave politics was intended to send Lee an advance warning after Park learned that Han would be returned to the country, sources reported.

However, a number of observers have stated that the incident is essentially dead. A GNP lawmaker said, “It is very likely that [Han’s] sudden return to Korea, at a time when the country is in an uproar over foot-and-mouth disease and the situation in the Middle East, was coordinated beforehand with prosecutors.”

“I do not think there is any chance this will develop into a major incident,” the lawmaker added.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]