Prosecutors Simultaneously Summon Park Jong-wook and Hwang Wook-jung Over KT Preferential Contract Allegations

The prosecution investigating KT Group's 'suspicion of preferential treatment in work allocation' is accelerating the investigation by simultaneously summoning a president-level executive from the headquarters and the CEO of a subcontractor, who is a key figure in the suspicion, on the 4th.

Photo by Jinhyung Kang, Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Seocho-gu, Seoul.

According to the legal community, the Fair Trade Investigation Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Jeong-seop) summoned Park Jong-wook, head of KT's Management Planning Division (President) and acting CEO, as a witness for questioning on the morning of the same day. This is the first time a president-level executive from the headquarters has been summoned and investigated by the prosecution.

Acting CEO Park is considered the de facto second-in-command, concurrently serving as head of the Management Planning Division and Chief Safety and Health Officer under former CEO Koo Hyun-mo. After former CEO Koo declined to renew his term earlier this year and former division head Yoon Kyung-rim, who was a candidate for the next CEO, also resigned, Park served as KT's acting CEO.

The prosecution views Park as the top figure in the KT Group reporting process who changed the facility management (FM) work order contractor to KT Telecop and concentrated work orders to KDFS.

The prosecution also summoned Hwang Wook-jung, CEO of KDFS, as a suspect on the same day. It is known that the prosecution is questioning CEO Hwang about the circumstances under which KDFS's order volume and sales increased after former CEO Koo's inauguration.

The prosecution is also investigating the possibility that the profits generated by KDFS through preferential work allocation were provided as a kind of slush fund to current and former key executives of KT Group, referred to as the 'interest cartel.' Additionally, they are looking into allegations that former KT CEO Nam Jung-soo appointed his wife as a nominal advisor to KDFS and received advisory fees, as well as suspicions that CEO Hwang attempted to destroy evidence by requiring employees to submit false confirmation letters stating they received "hundreds of thousands of won as a courtesy fee" while touring regional headquarters.

After former CEO Koo's inauguration in 2020, KT Group changed the work order contractor from the existing KT Estate to KT Telecop. KT Telecop, which became the contractor, is suspected of concentrating work orders that were previously divided among four subcontractors?KDFS, KSmate, KFnS, and KSNC?into KDFS.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.