Truckloads of cash

Seoul

More than a dozen people have been arrested so far in an investigation into bribery and corruption in South Korea’s 2002 elections. Many of the country’s largest corporations are alleged to have given millions of dollars worth of illegal contributions to the political parties in an attempt to win favor. Since South Korea’s currency, the won, comes in small denominations and is not very valuable, large cash payoffs are bulky. One company gave a politician a truck stuffed with $12 million worth of won; another packed a car so full of money there was barely room for the driver. The revelations have appalled even the most jaded voters, and a special prosecutor has been appointed. “The public is really desiring change,” said Justice Ministry official Ahn Dae Hee. “I don’t think that in the future South Korea will have the same problems with corruption.”

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