ID :
41804
Wed, 01/21/2009 - 03:29
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/41804
The shortlink copeid
Home of former president`s son-in-law robbed
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- The countryside home of former President Kim
Young-sam's son-in-law was broken into by a group of robbers who allege a large
amount of cash gotten from slush funds on behalf of the former president was
stored in the house, police said Tuesday.
A group of some 30 robbers broke into the private home of Kim's eldest
son-in-law, identified only by his family name Lee, in the early morning of Jan.
11, mistakenly believing several billion won was stored in an underground room of
the home located in Gwangju, about 60 kilometers south of Seoul, police said.
The unarmed men, most of whom are now in police custody, went as far as using an
earthmover to find the money they believed was stored there, though none was
found, according to a spokesmen from the Gwangju Police Station. The men then
robbed the 60-year-old Lee of 300,000 won (about US$218), the spokesman added.
Four of the group, including one thought to be the leader and identified only as
Jeon, have been arrested on robbery charges, while the operator of the earthmover
and several part-time bodyguards were brought in for questioning. Four of the
robbers are still at large, police said.
The incident was belatedly made public this week.
Kim, the first civilian president of South Korea, was inaugurated in February
1993 and served a single 5-year term. He presided over a massive anti-corruption
campaign which culminated in the arrest of his two predecessors on bribery and
embezzlement charges.
According to police, Jeon claimed that he was a United Nations official in charge
of collecting money from international slush funds and that he received
instructions via a satellite and an aircraft carrier docked at the port of Busan.
Police, however, ruled out any political motive in the robbery, saying it was not
targeted at the former president.
"We don't suspect any political motive behind the event, as most of the suspects
turned out to be simple criminals with past prison records," said one police
officer. "But we're still investigating whether there are any other masterminds
behind the robbery to clear any doubt."
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)
Young-sam's son-in-law was broken into by a group of robbers who allege a large
amount of cash gotten from slush funds on behalf of the former president was
stored in the house, police said Tuesday.
A group of some 30 robbers broke into the private home of Kim's eldest
son-in-law, identified only by his family name Lee, in the early morning of Jan.
11, mistakenly believing several billion won was stored in an underground room of
the home located in Gwangju, about 60 kilometers south of Seoul, police said.
The unarmed men, most of whom are now in police custody, went as far as using an
earthmover to find the money they believed was stored there, though none was
found, according to a spokesmen from the Gwangju Police Station. The men then
robbed the 60-year-old Lee of 300,000 won (about US$218), the spokesman added.
Four of the group, including one thought to be the leader and identified only as
Jeon, have been arrested on robbery charges, while the operator of the earthmover
and several part-time bodyguards were brought in for questioning. Four of the
robbers are still at large, police said.
The incident was belatedly made public this week.
Kim, the first civilian president of South Korea, was inaugurated in February
1993 and served a single 5-year term. He presided over a massive anti-corruption
campaign which culminated in the arrest of his two predecessors on bribery and
embezzlement charges.
According to police, Jeon claimed that he was a United Nations official in charge
of collecting money from international slush funds and that he received
instructions via a satellite and an aircraft carrier docked at the port of Busan.
Police, however, ruled out any political motive in the robbery, saying it was not
targeted at the former president.
"We don't suspect any political motive behind the event, as most of the suspects
turned out to be simple criminals with past prison records," said one police
officer. "But we're still investigating whether there are any other masterminds
behind the robbery to clear any doubt."
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)
