2 Air Force officers charged in bribery probe

SEOUL (Yonhap) - Military prosecutors said Wednesday two senior Air Force officers have been indicted on charges of taking bribes in return for helping construction firms win or maintain military contracts.
A lieutenant colonel, identified only by his surname Noh, was among the two suspects and allegedly accepted 13 million won (US$11,964) between June 2010 and March this year from a builder for his role in helping it win Air Force contracts, prosecutors said in statement.
Noh, 48, was also suspected of being entertained at golf courses on a regular basis by other construction firms, prosecutors said.
In a separate case, a major identified by his surname Kim was accused of taking 20 million won from another builder in 2007 while serving as a supervisor for a construction project for the Air Force, according to the statement.
Kim used some of the money to give gifts to 14 senior Air Force officers in connection with the project.
Military prosecutors said they recommended that commanders rebuke the officers who received gifts from Kim.