Paektu Project Will Continue Says Government

The growing allegations surrounding Korean-American Linda Kim's illicit affairs with high-ranking Korean officials is threatening to set back the weapons purchase deal currently in progress.

Defense Minister Cho Seong-tae has ordered an investigation into the extent of Linda Kim's influence in securing deals for E System on the "Paektu Project" and on an electronics project on the east coast.

However, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) insists that the case will be investigated by the prosecutor's office, considering the fact former defense minister Lee Yang-ho is implicated in the scandal.

Vice Minister Park Yong-ok says, "We don't know whether or not Linda Kim influenced the weapons purchase project, but it is no longer an issue."

"The MND will go ahead with the Paektu Project and the east coast project. We are ready to provide documentation to the National Assembly."

Some sources in the military are expressing their doubts over the weapons deal, which could compromise the reputation of the MND.

A mid-level official for the Joint Chiefs of Staff concurred, "It is an embarrassment. How are soldiers expected to follow the chain of command, if the integrity of the chain is compromised?"

The government has already paid some two-thirds of the $2.1 billion that is expected to be paid to the U.S. contractor for reconnaissance planes, the key components in the Paektu Project.

Sources within the government are also denying rumors that monitoring equipment supplied by E System failed to satisfy performance requirements.

"If the planes do not pass the ground and flight tests scheduled for summer, the government will file for compensation from the U.S.," says one official.

by Kim Min-seok