Roh’s family assets requested

Reports of assets and property holdings should be expanded to include the extended family of President Roh Moo-hyun, said Lee Nam-joo, the chairman of Korea Independent Commission against Corruption.
According to asset reports for top government officials, released Wednesday, Mr. Roh’s assets totaled 250 million won ($205,000). Mr. Roh’s report only extended to include his wife’s holdings.
Mr. Lee said in an interview with a Blue House official last week that the release of information on Mr. Roh’s relatives would allow for closer monitoring whenever changes occur in their holdings. Also, it would be easier to confirm the legality of their sources of income, Mr. Lee said.
In addition, Moon Jae-in, senior secretary for civil affairs of the Blue House, said that the corruption watchdog commission might be granted the right to handle such inspections.
“Right now, the commission has no right to investigate people accused of accumulating illegal funds,” said the chairman Mr. Lee. “But the president recently suggested in a Blue House briefing session that the commission will be given the right to begin investigations, at the very minimum.”
The corruption commission is planning to file a petition to the prosecutors office against those people it claims have illegally amassed wealth.
The number of reports on illegal wealth totaled 2,500 last year, Mr. Lee said, with 48 coming from employees of the accused. The corruption commission is now inspecting several of these reports.

by Kang Min-seok