ID :
199670
Mon, 08/08/2011 - 05:23
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/199670
The shortlink copeid
Scandal-ridden former Air Force chief owns private airfield: sources
SEOUL (Yonhap) - A former Air Force chief recently charged with leaking military secrets to a U.S. defense company is suspected of owning a private airfield, defense and prosecution sources said Monday.
Kim Sang-tae, 81, one of three retired Air Force officers who were indicted last week on charges of handing over military secrets to Lockheed Martin, allegedly owns a 40,000 square meter airfield worth 7 billion won (US$6.55 million) in Yeoju, 105 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the sources said on the condition of anonymity.
The allegation has prompted prosecutors to look into possible links between the airfield's operation costs and the large commission fees Kim allegedly took from Lockheed Martin.
The three retired officers are accused of receiving a total of 2.5 billion won in 2009 and 2010 in exchange for confidential information about the Air Force's operational plans, including its Joint Strategic Objectives Plan, among other data. They are charged with handing over the secrets on 12 different occasions between 2004 and 2010.
Kim served as the Air Force chief of staff from 1982 to 1984 and began operating a weapons brokerage company in 1995.
Lockheed Martin has denied involvement, saying it prohibits business consultants such as Kim's brokerage company from providing such information.
Kim Sang-tae, 81, one of three retired Air Force officers who were indicted last week on charges of handing over military secrets to Lockheed Martin, allegedly owns a 40,000 square meter airfield worth 7 billion won (US$6.55 million) in Yeoju, 105 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the sources said on the condition of anonymity.
The allegation has prompted prosecutors to look into possible links between the airfield's operation costs and the large commission fees Kim allegedly took from Lockheed Martin.
The three retired officers are accused of receiving a total of 2.5 billion won in 2009 and 2010 in exchange for confidential information about the Air Force's operational plans, including its Joint Strategic Objectives Plan, among other data. They are charged with handing over the secrets on 12 different occasions between 2004 and 2010.
Kim served as the Air Force chief of staff from 1982 to 1984 and began operating a weapons brokerage company in 1995.
Lockheed Martin has denied involvement, saying it prohibits business consultants such as Kim's brokerage company from providing such information.
