Minor opposition lawmaker commits suicide amid illegal funding probe
- 6 years ago
We start with some shocking news from South Korea's political sphere.
A prominent opposition lawmaker committed suicide this morning,... amid allegations that he received illegal political funds.
In a suicide note, he admitted to have accepted funds,... but wrote that they had nothing to do with any special favors.
For more, we connect to our political correspondent Kim Min-ji on the phone.
Min-ji, what do we know so far?
Ji-yoon.
It's been a shock to everyone here at the National Assembly -- especially given that lawmaker Roh Hoe-chan has been known for his clean image.
Roh, a three-term lawmaker with the minor opposition Justice Party jumped to his death from his apartment complex in central Seoul.
Police say they found his jacket between the 17th and 18th floor of the complex,... and inside was his wallet and business cards.
His body was first found by an apartment security guard at around 9.40 in the morning.
Roh has been facing allegations that he received illegal political funds worth 50 million won,... or over 44-thousand U.S. dollars from an associate of a blogger,... known by the username Druking.
Until now, the lawmaker had brushed off any allegations against him.
Speaking to reporters during his trip to the U.S. last week,... he said he had not received any illegal funds... and that he would sincerely undergo questioning if he was summoned.
In a suicide note,... he said that he had received funds but that it had nothing to do with special favors -- and apologized to his family.
Currently, the Justice Party is confirming the details.
So he has faced suspicions of taking illegal funds. Can you give us a rundown of the investigation?
Yes Ji-yoon.
Going back a little bit,... a special investigation has been underway into an online opinion rigging scandal -- more commonly known as the Druking Scandal.
To give you a recap -- the blogger, known as Druking, and his team have been accused of manipulating online comments on political issues in favor of the now-ruling party... to sway public opinion.
Amid the probe, new allegations emerged that Roh had accepted illegal funds from a lawyer linked to the scandal.
The special prosecutors recently filed an arrest warrant for the lawyer -- identified only by his surname, Do, who is suspected of setting up a meeting between Druking and Roh Hoe-chan in 2016 to deliver the funds.
Huh Ik-bum, the independent counsel leading the special probe said he hopes Roh can rest in peace -- saying that Roh was a lawmaker who he personally respected.
He has nothing else to say but sends words of condolences to Roh and his family.
And that any details of the investigation will be announced at a later date.
Back to you, Ji-yoon.
A prominent opposition lawmaker committed suicide this morning,... amid allegations that he received illegal political funds.
In a suicide note, he admitted to have accepted funds,... but wrote that they had nothing to do with any special favors.
For more, we connect to our political correspondent Kim Min-ji on the phone.
Min-ji, what do we know so far?
Ji-yoon.
It's been a shock to everyone here at the National Assembly -- especially given that lawmaker Roh Hoe-chan has been known for his clean image.
Roh, a three-term lawmaker with the minor opposition Justice Party jumped to his death from his apartment complex in central Seoul.
Police say they found his jacket between the 17th and 18th floor of the complex,... and inside was his wallet and business cards.
His body was first found by an apartment security guard at around 9.40 in the morning.
Roh has been facing allegations that he received illegal political funds worth 50 million won,... or over 44-thousand U.S. dollars from an associate of a blogger,... known by the username Druking.
Until now, the lawmaker had brushed off any allegations against him.
Speaking to reporters during his trip to the U.S. last week,... he said he had not received any illegal funds... and that he would sincerely undergo questioning if he was summoned.
In a suicide note,... he said that he had received funds but that it had nothing to do with special favors -- and apologized to his family.
Currently, the Justice Party is confirming the details.
So he has faced suspicions of taking illegal funds. Can you give us a rundown of the investigation?
Yes Ji-yoon.
Going back a little bit,... a special investigation has been underway into an online opinion rigging scandal -- more commonly known as the Druking Scandal.
To give you a recap -- the blogger, known as Druking, and his team have been accused of manipulating online comments on political issues in favor of the now-ruling party... to sway public opinion.
Amid the probe, new allegations emerged that Roh had accepted illegal funds from a lawyer linked to the scandal.
The special prosecutors recently filed an arrest warrant for the lawyer -- identified only by his surname, Do, who is suspected of setting up a meeting between Druking and Roh Hoe-chan in 2016 to deliver the funds.
Huh Ik-bum, the independent counsel leading the special probe said he hopes Roh can rest in peace -- saying that Roh was a lawmaker who he personally respected.
He has nothing else to say but sends words of condolences to Roh and his family.
And that any details of the investigation will be announced at a later date.
Back to you, Ji-yoon.