Saenuri lawmakers face perjury claims

The ongoing parliamentary probe into the influence-peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil was hit Monday by allegations that lawmakers of the ruling Saenuri Party conspired perjury with one of the witnesses at last week’s parliamentary hearing.

While the Saenuri’s reformist members demanded clarification, the opposition circle argued that the disputed members should be ousted immediately from the related parliamentary committee.

Korean media outlet Monthly JoongAng revealed Sunday that Rep. Yi Wan-young, a Park loyalist of the ruling party, directed K-Sports Foundation’s former Chairman Jeong Dong-chun to give a false testimony over a key piece of evidence -- a tablet PC which had allegedly belonged to Choi.

According to the media outlet, Choi’s former associate Ko Young-tae claimed that Yi had told Jeong to testify that the PC containing confidential documents from the presidential office belonged to Ko, not Choi.

“A Saenuri lawmaker and a K-Sport official will say (at the parliamentary hearing) that they saw me carry around the disputed PC,” Ko was quoted as saying.

Two days after the release of the interview, Rep. Lee Man-hee of the Saenuri Party questioned Park Heon-young, an employee of the foundation, at the National Assembly. Park answered that the PC was Ko’s, just as he had predicted, raising suspicions that Rep. Lee was also involved in the conspiracy.

However, the Saenuri members denied all charges.

“I have never told anyone to falsify testimonies. I did hear from Jeong that the tablet PC may be Ko’s, but I did not think of it as credible information,” he told reporters at an emergency press conference Monday. “I did not prepare any questions on that issue for the hearing.”

Parliamentary hearing committee Chairman Rep. Kim Sung-tae held an emergency investigation to clear up doubts, as some reformist figures of the Saenuri had also called for a thorough probe earlier in the day.

Members of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, however, did not attend the emergency investigation, lashing out at the ruling party instead. It demanded the two lawmakers be ousted from the parliamentary inquiry committee on the Choi scandal.

“It would clearly constitute a criminal act, if the committee members colluded with witnesses to make false testimonies, instead of finding out the truth on behalf of the people, as they should,” said the party’s Floor Leader Rep. Woo Sang-ho in the morning.

He also said that the two Saenuri lawmakers should reveal the conversations they allegedly had with key witnesses.

The committee decided to summon the two lawmakers to the upcoming hearing Thursday.

“If they fail to offer a valid explanation, the two should resign (from the committee),” said Rep. Chang Je-won of the ruling Saenuri Party at a press briefing.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)