ID :
204606
Wed, 08/31/2011 - 14:21
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http://m.oananews.org//node/204606
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Wife of Seoul education chief probed over election scandal
SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors began quizzing the wife of the Seoul education chief on Wednesday as they stepped up investigations into suspicions that the official paid a rival candidate to get him to withdraw from last year's election.
The wife of Kwak No-hyun, the incumbent Seoul education superintendent, appeared before prosecutors early in the afternoon along with two of Kwak's close friends after being summoned by the prosecution, according to Seoul prosecutors.
Prosecutors said the three are being questioned mainly on how the Seoul education chief financed the 200 million won (US$187,651) that he admitted to having given to Park Myoung-gee, a professor at Seoul National University of Education and rival candidate from the same liberal bloc for last year's election for the Seoul education superintendent position.
The wife, surnamed Jeong, is allegedly responsible for funding 30 million won of the money given to Park earlier this year. Prosecutors suspect Kwak might have misappropriated public funds to finance the remainder.
Prosecutors believed the money was given in return for Park's withdrawal from the race while Kwak claimed that he paid the money as a gesture of "good will" for Park, who was suffering heavy debts from his election campaign.
"The questioning will continue into late night," an official at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said. "We will broaden the questioning to other related people."
The prosecution is believed to call in the Seoul education superintendent during the weekend after further investigations.
The widening election scandal came as a setback to the Seoul education chief, who secured a victory against the conservative ruling bloc last week. The conservatives had strongly opposed a free school lunch plan for all students that Kwak supported.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon resigned after losing in the Seoul referendum he called for in a bid to cancel the opposition-controlled Seoul city council's meal plan, which he denounced as a populist welfare program.
The wife of Kwak No-hyun, the incumbent Seoul education superintendent, appeared before prosecutors early in the afternoon along with two of Kwak's close friends after being summoned by the prosecution, according to Seoul prosecutors.
Prosecutors said the three are being questioned mainly on how the Seoul education chief financed the 200 million won (US$187,651) that he admitted to having given to Park Myoung-gee, a professor at Seoul National University of Education and rival candidate from the same liberal bloc for last year's election for the Seoul education superintendent position.
The wife, surnamed Jeong, is allegedly responsible for funding 30 million won of the money given to Park earlier this year. Prosecutors suspect Kwak might have misappropriated public funds to finance the remainder.
Prosecutors believed the money was given in return for Park's withdrawal from the race while Kwak claimed that he paid the money as a gesture of "good will" for Park, who was suffering heavy debts from his election campaign.
"The questioning will continue into late night," an official at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said. "We will broaden the questioning to other related people."
The prosecution is believed to call in the Seoul education superintendent during the weekend after further investigations.
The widening election scandal came as a setback to the Seoul education chief, who secured a victory against the conservative ruling bloc last week. The conservatives had strongly opposed a free school lunch plan for all students that Kwak supported.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon resigned after losing in the Seoul referendum he called for in a bid to cancel the opposition-controlled Seoul city council's meal plan, which he denounced as a populist welfare program.
