22 November 2016

News Story: S. Korean lawmaker raises suspicion on Lockheed Martin's link to president's confidante

SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- A South Korean lawmaker on Tuesday raised suspicion on U.S. weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin's link to Choi Soon-sil, President Park Geun-hye's confidante who has been indicted on multiple crimes including abuse of power and extortion.

Rep. Ahn Min-seok of the biggest opposition Minjoo Party appeared in a radio program of local broadcaster MBC, saying he received internal information from the military last weekend about a possible link between the president's decades-long friend and the U.S. arms supplier.

Lockheed Martin financially supported the child of a "core figure" in charge of South Korea's security policy when the child was studying abroad several years ago, said Ahn, who didn't elaborate on whether the child was staying in the United States.

The opposition lawmaker raised a possibility for the core figure to introduce Choi to the Lockheed Martin side, saying he will try to find a truth when the National Assembly launches its own investigation into the scandal next month.

Ahn has claimed a collusive link between Choi and the U.S. arms company to peddle undue influence on the South Korean government's weapons procurement contracts.

Read the full story at Xinhua