LG U+ loses its right to bid on public projects until fall

The government said Thursday that it has banned LG U+ from bidding for state-run projects for three months beginning Tuesday as the company was found guilty of bribery.

According to the Public Procurement Service, LG U+ will lose its right to bid for public projects until Sept. 27.

The bribery case began in 2012, when the Supreme Court found a senior officer in the Army who worked with telecommunications service providers guilty of receiving money from various companies including LG U+.

In 2012, the Ministry of National Defense said it would ban LG U+ from bidding for public projects after the officer’s conviction. However, LG U+ requested a suspension of execution and filed an administrative litigation.

After the case, the court reviewed whether to revoke LG U+’s right to bid for public projects, and the final ruling was released Thursday.

KT was found guilty of bribing the same officer in the Army and lost the right for six months in 2014.

SK Broadband’s case is ongoing.

LG U+ gave some 9 million won ($7,800) to the officer, and KT and SK Broadband each gave 14 million won and 640,000 won, according to the ministry.

LG U+ said that it will review the final ruling and release further plans.