Prosecutors raid 2 opposition politicians over suspected employment corruption

Prosecutors on Friday raided two politicians close to former President Moon Jae-in on suspicion of interfering in the employment process of a former senior official of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP). The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office sent prosecutors and investigators to the houses of former presidential chief of staff Noh Young-min and former Land Minister Kim Hyun-mi and land ministry offices to secure evidence related to their business obstruction charges. Noh and Kim are suspected of exerting influence on CJ KIFT Co., a logistics affiliate of CJ Group, through land ministry officials to facilitate the appointments of two people, including Lee Jung-geun, a former deputy secretary-general of the DP, in the company's advisory positions in 2020. Lee worked as a full-time adviser at CJ KIFT for a year starting in August 2020 at the recommendation of the land ministry after unsuccessfully running for the National Assembly earlier that year. CJ KIFT is a private company but has appoint ed people recommended by the land ministry as full-time advisers. The prosecution has widened the probe into Noh and Kim after detecting suspicions of their business obstruction in the process of investigating Lee's bribery case. Lee has been imprisoned after the Supreme Court confirmed her sentence of four years and two months on charges of bribery and political fund law violations late last year. Prosecutors are expected to summon Noh and Kim after analyzing materials seized in the raids. Source: Yonhap News Agency