Game Association Leader Detained in massive gambling scandal
The prosecution detained the head of the Korea Computer Game Industrial Association, a group of owners of video game shops, on charges of bribery in the gambling scandal involving a video slot machine game "Pada Iyagi" or "Sea Story."
Prosecutors plan to request an arrest warrant against the head, Kim Min-seok, as early as today.
Late Tuesday night, investigators raided Kim's house to seize evidence of his allegation, and took him into custody. During the raid, Kim tried to destroy evidence, tearing up documents and throwing cell phones and USB memory sticks out the window of a 36th floor apartment, investigators said.
The prosecution will question Kim over allegations he lobbied members of the Korea Media Rating Board (KMRB), which screens video slot machines, to allow a slot machine game ``Golden Castle'' to pass the board's screening. He allegedly received a large sum of money from the game developer in exchange.
Kim operated a gaming parlor with the Golden Castle machines in Taegu under another person's name.
It has been alleged that the introduction of gift certificates as chips at gaming parlors in 2002 was led not by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism but by Kim and Kim Yong-hwan, CEO of Andamiro, one of the 19 voucher issuing companies, as game arcade owners and voucher issuers could make a great deal of money with the gift certificates.
It was alleged that the Andamiro CEO met with a Culture and Tourism Ministry official almost every day to draft the voucher system, which was adopted later.
The CEO is also suspected of having collected 2 billion won from gift certificate issuers in April to lobby government officials and lawmakers.
He was also found to have about 100 bank accounts under other people's names including his family members.
In 2004, the prosecution investigated him in a bribery case involving a KMRB member, but were unable to prove his guilt.
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