Hanjin Group head's secret chambers arouse public curiosity

By Park Sae-jin Posted : May 3, 2018, 10:36 Updated : May 3, 2018, 12:50

Customs officials retrieve boxes of evidence after raiding Hanjin Group head Cho Yang-ho's home in Seoul. [Yonhap Photo]


SEOUL -- Public curiosity is rising about what was hidden in secret chambers at the residence of Hanjin Group head Cho Yang-ho after customs officials seized boxes of evidence in a 10-hour-long search raid on tips that his family has purchased luxury goods abroad.

In their first raid last month into the rooms of Cho, his wife and his youngest daughter Cho Hyun-min in a rich residential area, customs officials did not find any concrete evidence related to smuggling and tax evasion.

Acting on information provided by a whistle-blower, they launched a second raid on Wednesday and came back with boxes of evidence collected from at least two secret chambers in Cho's house, the size of a quarter of a football field. The secret chambers reportedly were hidden among a maze of corridors.

"We were able to find the secret rooms thanks to tipped information," an unnamed customs official told reporters, keeping his mouth shut tight about what they have seized inside the chambers despite mounting public curiosity.

"I bet there must have been really expensive paintings and art pieces," wrote  DuckDoc, a user from South Korea's online community Clien. Another user Galeforce said: "What if there were drugs? Or guns? Man, I can’t wait till the authorities reveal what they have found!"

The raid followed an arrogant behavior of Cho Hyun-min, a former Korean Air senior executive, who was questioned by police on charges of assault and obstruction of business.

However, Korean Air released a statement on Thursday denying allegations that Cho hid illegally obtained objects in secret chambers in his home. The Korean flag carrier claimed the chambers were used as storage which Cho family used to keep things they do not normally use. Korean Air also claimed the rooms are not hidden as described by media and are easily accessible by anyone.

"Unlike some media reports, there are no facilities such as large safe inside the walls of the house," Korean Air said in the statement.

There have been allegations that the 35-year-old threw a glass cup at an advertising agency official and sprayed plum juice at other participants. However, she argued she never hurled a glass cup toward any participants in a business meeting at her office on March 16.

The case sparked a flurry of investigations by police, customs officials and transport authorities into possible illegal activities by Cho's family. There have been a series of revelations by whistle-blowers about misconducts and illegal acts by the ruling family, which was accused of bringing in foreign luxury goods without paying duties through a legitimate loophole at airports.






 
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