Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has dismissed allegations of kickbacks related to the Han River bus project, asserting that the disputed amount was merely a brokerage fee paid during the shipbuilding contract process.
During a National Assembly audit by the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee on October 19, Mayor Oh stated, "Representative Kim Nam-kun also defined it as a 1.5 billion won kickback incident, which I view as a political attack."
Oh acknowledged that the contract amount for the shipbuilding by Gaduk Heavy Industries was indeed higher than that of other shipbuilding companies. However, he maintained that the questioned amount was a brokerage fee paid during the contract process.
He explained, "320 million won was paid as a brokerage fee to a company called Seongwoo ENG under the guise of consulting fees." He added, "A brokerage fee of around 1% has been customary, and this case involved 2%, which is currently under investigation."
Oh expressed frustration over the characterization of the brokerage fee as a kickback, stating, "Why is it being defined as a kickback when it is a legitimate brokerage fee?"
In response to criticisms that the Seoul city government has not adequately investigated the allegations, Oh countered, "Since July 23 of this year, we have conducted three requests for data, one site visit, four interviews with visitors, and 23 phone calls and preparations."
He further noted, "Although I could not disclose it during last week's audit by the Administrative Safety Committee, we also conducted interviews with SH executives up until September."
Regarding questions about what actions the city took after the audit was dismissed and whether an investigation was requested following the Administrative Safety Committee audit, Oh asserted, "The facts are different."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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