Kim Bong-hyun Releases 14-Page Second Statement Through Lawyer
Denies Allegations Against Blue House and Ruling Party in Letter
Kim Geun-sik, Chairman of the People Power Party's Songpa-byeong District in Seoul./Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Kim Bonghyun (46), former chairman of Star Mobility and a key figure in the Lime Asset Management (Lime) scandal, has released a second prison letter. In response, Kim Geunsik, professor at Gyeongnam National University and chairman of the People Power Party’s Songpa-byeong district in Seoul, strongly criticized, saying, "I have heard of Neru’s world history travels, Kim Daejung’s prison letters, and Ahn Junggeun’s prison letters, but this is the first time in my life to see a series of prison letters from a mega fraudster."
On the 22nd, Professor Kim wrote on his Facebook, "Prison letters are familiar from independence activists or democratization leaders," adding, "After comparing Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae’s son’s military service to Ahn Junggeun’s patriotic sacrifice, I worry that even a fraudster’s letter might be likened to Ahn Junggeun’s prison letters."
Professor Kim criticized the ruling party, saying, "As long as it helps the cause of ‘prosecutorial reform,’ the Han Myeongsuk case, Channel A case, and Lime case are all exaggerated and used to demonize the prosecution, as if the fraudsters’ letters and false testimonies were revelations of truth," and added, "They are willing to use fraudsters if it means attacking only the prosecution to protect their own camp by targeting Prosecutor General Yoon Seokyeol."
He continued, "(Kim, the former chairman) is a fraudster who directly fled with 6 billion won in cash, having taken tears from countless investors," and said, "He is staging a scam against ordinary people and running away with 6 billion won in cash, but now he is giving statements tailored to the regime’s taste solely to reduce his sentence."
He also said, "Now he changes his story, saying he never gave money to either the ruling or opposition parties," and added, "The fraudster knows exactly what the living power wants. He knows well that the regime prefers to frame the Channel A case as a dark collusion and the Lime case as a prosecution gate."
Finally, Professor Kim said, "The president sides with the obvious fraudster’s series of lies to cover himself, the ruling party praises them, and the Minister of Justice believes them as facts," and sharply criticized, "They said they would crush the ‘prosecutorial republic,’ but South Korea has become a ‘fraud republic.’"
Part of the second statement released on the 21st by former Star Mobility Chairman Kim Bong-hyun.Photo by Kim's former chairman's attorney
Meanwhile, Kim, the former chairman, after releasing a handwritten prison letter on the 16th, sent a 14-page A4 letter to some media outlets the day before.
In this letter, Kim repeatedly emphasized that his revelations, including the ‘prosecutor’s drinking entertainment,’ were true, while denying any allegations related to the Blue House or the ruling party as groundless.
He claimed that at the end of 2019, through lawyer A, a former prosecutor from the special investigation division, he entertained three active prosecutors with drinks, stating, "They were colleagues who previously worked together with this lawyer in the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering investigation team."
Earlier, in his first statement, Kim claimed that around July last year, he entertained three active prosecutors with drinks worth about 10 million won at a room salon in Cheongdam-dong together with former prosecutor A.
Kim also revealed that a request for a favor regarding Yoon Daejin, then head of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office (currently deputy director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), was actually made. In his first statement, he said that in December 2019, he paid 50 million won as a bribe to a certain district prosecutor to drop the warrant request related to the Suwon Passenger case.
Kim further stated, "From the time of Vice President Lee Jongpil’s escape, I received assistance from prosecution officials," and "They advised me on the prosecution investigation team’s tracking methods and encouraged me to flee."
Kim also claimed, "(I) was loyal to the prosecution for six months and was almost part of the investigation team," and said, "'The case involving a request related to opposition politicians' was actually lobbied, and I heard and saw it directly, so I mentioned it during the prosecution interviews, but no investigation was conducted on me."
On the other hand, he actively defended against allegations related to the Blue House and the ruling party. Kim said, "After the Lime scandal broke out, I met a ruling party lawmaker only once at the request of Vice President Lee Jongpil, to appeal my grievances to the lawmaker in charge of finance at the National Assembly members’ office building," and claimed, "Lawmakers Ki Mo, Kim Mo, and Lee Mo were met in 2016 and have nothing to do with the Lime fund."
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