Kangwon Land admits to past corruption scandal

Monday 11th of September 2017

Casino operator Kangwon Land may see itself back in the center of a corruption scandal which took place between 2012 and 2013, local media reports.

In 2015, Kangwon Land was embroiled in a corruption case after it was alleged that a large number of people hired between 2012 and 2013 was as a result of their connections with politicians and the former CEO Choi Heung-jip.

The case was closed in 2015, with prosecutors indicting the CEO, Choi Heung-jip, and a human resources executive.

However, the ruling Democratic Party is now calling for the case to be reopened, saying that a deeper investigation is needed.

"This is an unimaginable corruption scandal involving a state-run company, which is funded by taxpayer money," Justice Party spokesman Choi Suk said. "Kwon belonged to an Assembly committee that is supposed to oversee the company until early 2012."

"Other applicants didn't have the same chances of success … prosecutors should reopen the case to reveal the whole truth."

On Tuesday, Kangwon Land admitted to the scandal, saying that 493 of the hires in 2012 and 2013 were successful as a result of their connections.

"A thing of the past is tarnishing the image of Kangwon Land, which has been trying hard to improve its transparency in recent years," the company said. "It breaks the hearts of all employees and we are very sorry,”

"We apologize for committing a crime which would have been possible only in the 1960s or '70s," the company said in a statement.

Bricks & Mortar Investigation Corruption