Two leading members of South Korea’s opposition Liberty Korea Party have been indicted for their part in a major corruption scandal at Kangwon Land – the only casino in the country where locals are allowed to play – that saw hundreds of staff illegally hired via political and company connections.
Representatives Kweon Seong-dong and Yeom Dong-yeol were charged with abuse of power and business interference on Monday, according to KBS WORLD Radio, accused of exerting undue pressure in requesting friends and acquaintances be hired as trainees at the casino.
The offences allegedly took place between November 2012 and April 2013 with the duo believed to have influenced the hiring of 50 trainees between them.
Kangwon Land issued a statement last September in which it admitted that from 2012 to 2013 it had hired 518 people of which 493 of them – around 95% – were appointed due to connections with various “influential people.”
“We apologize for committing a crime which would have been possible only in the 1960s or ’70s,” the company said at the time, pointing the finger at former CEO Choi Heung-jip as the man responsible.
The corruption was originally uncovered in 2015 but the case was quickly closed that same year with only Choi and one other employee indicted.
While Kweon and Yeom have now joined them, neither has been arrested due to a quirk in Korean law that prevents serving lawmakers from being detained without the consent of parliament. Both parliament and the court dismissed the prosecution’s request for an arrest warrant.
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