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Prosecutors widen probe into Hanwha's alleged lobbying for troubled chairman
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors raided three golf courses near Seoul Friday over an allegation that the nation's police chief played golf with a senior Hanwha Group official seeking leniency for his boss, who is charged with carrying out a revenge attack on several bar employees.
Kim Seung-yeon, chairman of the country's 12th-biggest conglomerate, was indicted early this week on charges of kidnapping and hitting the bar workers who allegedly hurt his son in a nighttime fight in March.
Kim is accused of having mobilized a group of men for a gangster-like revenge attack using a steel pipe and an electroshock device. The case was made public nearly two months after it took place. Police did not launch a full-fledged investigation until media reports revealed the case, and public attention is now being focused on why the police's action was so late.
Critics say police were negligent in dealing with the case, raising the possibility that senior police officers were lobbied to tone down the investigation.
Lee Taek-soon, head of the National Police Agency, is suspected of having played golf with a senior Hanwha Group official who attended the same high school as he did.
Prosecutors said they are focusing on whether the alleged golf outing had something to do with the case.
The prosecution denied media speculation that it raided Lee's office, saying "We did not search any public agency today."
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