박근혜 대통령이 임명된 한 차관급 인사가 최근 불거진 사회 지도층 성접대 의혹에 연루됐다고 일부 언론이 보도했다.

보도에 따르면 최근 경찰에 소환된 한 여성이 2009년 한 건설업자의 강원도 원주 별장에서 이 고위 관계자와 성관계를 가졌다고 경찰에 진술한 것으로 알려졌다.

일부 언론에서 새 정부 고위 관계자의 실명을 거론하며 연루설을 보도하자 청와대 인사검증 시스템에 대한 비난이 일고 있다.

일각에서는 청와대 민정라인이 관련 첩보를 받고도 적절한 검증을 못한 것이 상황을 악화시킨 것이 아니냐는 지적이 나왔다.

여의도 증권가에서 나도는 속칭 “찌라시”에는 이미 6개월 전부터 관련 소문이 실리기 시작했으며 청와대 민정라인도 최근 검-경의 수사진을 상대로 확인작업을 벌인 것으로 전해졌다.

이날 열린 청와대 수석비서관회의에서도 이 의혹에 대한 논의가 오간 것으로 전해졌다.

청와대는 경찰 수사가 진행되는 사안인 만큼 지켜볼 뿐이며, 관련 당사자들이 직접 해명해야 한다는 입장을 정리한 것으로 알려졌다.

한편, 사건을 내사중인 경찰은 건설업자 윤모(52)씨에 대해 출국금지를 요청하고 윤씨의 조카를 소환해 조사했다.

경찰청 특수수사과는 윤씨 조카로부터 노트북을 제출받아 성 접대와 관련된 것으로 의심되는 동영상에 대한 분석 작업을 진행 중인 것으로 알려졌다.

경찰 관계자는 “이 동영상이 성 접대와 관련된 동영상인지 시중에 돌아다니는 음란물인지 판단하지 못하는 상황”이라면서 성 접대 동영상을 확보했다고 아직 단정 할 수 없는 상태라고 말했다.

경찰은 윤씨와 지인 2∼3명, 고소인인 A씨 측 2∼3명, 성 접대를 받았다고 추정되는 사회 지도층 인사 5∼6명, 성 접대 과정에 동원된 것으로 추정되는 여성 10여명 등 모두 30여명을 수사 선상에 올려놓은 것으로 전해졌다.

성 접대를 받은 것으로 추정되는 사회 지도층 인사들 역시 소환될 것으로 보인다.

경찰청은 서초서가 확보했던 별장 주변의 폐쇄회로 TV에 대한 분석 작업도 할 방침이다. 해당 CCTV는 별장에 들고 난 사람들의 차량 번호 등을 담고 있는 것으로 전해졌다. (코리아헤럴드/ 조정은 기자)





<관련 영어 기사>

Park appointee implicated in country house sex parties

By Cho Chung-un

A senior official recently appointed by President Park Geun-hye is among several figures involved in a growing sex-for-favors scandal, sources said.

Police have reportedly obtained statements from a woman hired by a contractor to perform sexual services for the official in 2009 at a country house in Wonju, Gangwon Province.

After his name was disclosed by news media on Thursday, the official denied that he received sexual services for influence peddling.

The fresh allegations dealt another blow to Cheong Wa Dae and its personnel screening process, coming shortly after several of Park’s nominees withdrew and others face pressure to quit over ethical misdeeds.

Reports raised questions about Cheong Wa Dae’s personnel vetting process as rumors of the sex-for-favors scandal involving the high-ranking official have been circulating for more than six months. Sources say Cheong Wa Dae was briefed about the scandal only a while ago and requested the police to look for the video of the official having sex with a woman hired for the purpose.

The official mired in the scandal was appointed to a vice ministerial post before the allegation surfaced, a presidential staffer said, meaning that Cheong Wa Dae had no connection to the scandal.

“The person whose name has been identified has to deal with the issue,” a senior presidential staffer was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency. “Cheong Wa Dae has no reason to support or protect him.”

The official is reportedly one of a number of social elites who were invited to a series of banquets hosted by the contractor surnamed Yoon between 2008 and 2011. Yoon, 51, is accused of filming officials and others having sex with women he hired. Sources say that he might have used the footage to blackmail the officials for business favors.

The list of public figures that reportedly received sexual services from Yoon includes other high-ranking officials, lawmakers and executives at media firms. The police said they would question those influential figures mentioned by the witnesses or identified by surveillance cameras installed near the country house.

Officials at the National Police Agency said they imposed a travel ban on Yoon and summoned his nephew, who is thought to have collaborated with Yoon. The police said they were checking his laptop to verify the existence of the sex videos.

“We can’t confirm whether the video files (stored in the computer) are related to the case or just obscene materials circulating in the market,” an official said.

The police also confirmed that Yoon won the bidding for a sports complex construction project ordered by a police training academy. Reports are raising questions about whether a former senior police official peddled his influence for Yoon to win the project worth billions of won.

“We are investigating a series of Yoon’s irregularities. We will check on details later on because we are still in the process of the preliminary investigation,” an official said.

The case came to the attention of police after a woman filed a complaint against Yoon and his colleague for rape and extortion late last year. The woman surnamed Kwon told police that her assistants found a number of CD-ROMS in a car she had lent Yoon that showed big name officials and women having sex.
(christory@heraldcorp.com)