Colonel accused of taking bribe for advice on F-X; French firm is implicated

An air force colonel was arrested Saturday on charges of accepting bribes and leaking classified information, the Defense Security Command said Sunday.

Only a week ago, the colonel, identified only by his last name, Cho, had asserted that some high-ranking military officials were under outside pressures in the selection of the next-generation fighter jet project.

According to the Defense Security Command, Colonel Cho had led the air force's evaluation team on the multi-billion dollar project, known as F-X, from August to December 2000. He took part in reviews of the four contestants, the U.S.-built Boeing F-15K, the French-made Dassault Rafale, the Russian Sukhoi Su-35 and the European consortium's Eurofighter Typhoon.

Colonel Cho contacted a Korean agency representing Dassault in early March last year, the military intelligence said. He reportedly tipped off the agent that the warplane maker should increase its bid in the offset package, originally required to be 70 percent of the contract value, and improve its offer of technology transfer. Colonel Cho also advised the Korean agent that the French aircraft maker should restrain price increases, the intelligence command said. In return for the advice, the colonel is suspected of receiving 11 million won ($8,460) in cash over six occasions. He was also charged with keeping some classified air force reports without permission.

If the air force prosecutors' investigation finds that Dassault offered a bribe, the French company is subject to elimination from the selection. The Rafale was considered the only serious rival to Boeing for the contract, estimated to be worth 4.2 trillion won .

The Defense Procurement Agency exchanged provisional contracts with the four bidders on Feb. 19 amid promises to conduct the F-X competition fairly and transparently. The contract stipulated that the buyer has the right to cancel all or part of the purchase contract if the supplier were confirmed to have engaged in illegal lobbying activities.

The Defense Security Command and air force prosecutors will also investigate the French bidder's agent on charges of bribery.

by Kim Min-seok