"Employees of Korean Air Received 300 Million Won in Bribes Saying 'We Will Help Win Construction Contracts,' Given Suspended Sentences"

Korean Air aircraft [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] Former and current employees of Korean Air who took bribes under the pretense of helping secure construction contracts for hotels and other projects were found guilty in the first trial.

According to the legal community on the 6th, Judge Jin-hwan Park of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 1 sentenced defendants A and B, who were charged with bribery and breach of trust, to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 3-year probation period. The court criticized, "They had a duty to handle tasks related to securing construction contracts fairly, but they betrayed the trust of the company and accepted illicit requests to obtain money." However, the court stated, "Considering that the defendants returned all the money received from the companies, the prison sentence is suspended."

These individuals, who were in charge of construction management at Korean Air, were indicted in August on charges of receiving bribes totaling around 300 million won from construction companies since 2010. Investigations revealed that they received money under the pretext of holiday gift money in exchange for providing favors related to construction projects Korean Air was promoting at the time, such as the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Incheon and the hotel in Songhyeon-dong, Seoul.

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