Roh`s wife reportedly spent most of money in question on son`s living expenses: source

SEOUL, May 8 (Yonhap) -- The wife of former President Roh Moo-hyun used most of
the US$1 million she allegedly received from a corrupt businessman to cover her
son's living expenses in the United States, a source close to the former Roh
administration said Friday.
What began as an investigation into Park Yeon-cha, the businessman arrested last
year on charges of offering billions of won in bribes to political heavyweights,
escalated into a high-profile corruption scandal last month when the former
president publicly acknowledged that his wife, Kwon Yang-sook, had accepted money
from Park to repay a debt.
Roh, who was questioned late last month, insisted that he did not become aware of
the transaction until after he left office in February 2008. Roh's attorneys
earlier suggested that they were willing to submit a statement that explained
where Kwon spent the money she received from Park.
"I'm aware that the statement is nearly finished. Roh's legal team is currently
coordinating with prosecutors on when and how the statement should be delivered
and when to resummon Kwon," the source told Yonhap News Agency over the
telephone.
The source, declining to be named, said Kwon was reluctant to specify the amount,
but she is believed to have spent from $700,000 to $800,000 on living expenses
for Roh Gun-ho, her son, who was studying in the U.S.
The junior Roh, 36, an employee of LG Electronics currently on temporary leave,
was studying in the U.S. but returned home last month and has also been
questioned by investigators. He is a shareholder of an offshore company in which
Park is known to have indirectly invested.
In the statement, Kwon reportedly maintained that the former president had no
prior knowledge of the money she took from Park, according to the source. Roh's
legal team is expected to submit the final version of Kwon's statement as soon as
the two sides set a date on her summons.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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