SKorea's spy chief-designate, senior presidential aide accused in Samsung bribery scandal

South Korea's spy chief-designate and a senior presidential aide took bribes from Samsung Group, a group of Catholic priests claimed Wednesday.

The priests, from a group called the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice, have been working with Kim Yong-chul, a former Samsung lawyer, who alleged in November that the powerful conglomerate had creating a 200 billion won (US$211 million; euro139 million) slush fund to bribe government officials, judges and prosecutors.

An independent counsel is investigating Samsung Group, which denies the allegations.

The priests said Kim Sung-ho, named to head the National Intelligence Service, and senior presidential aide Lee Jong-chan should resign for taking bribes from Samsung.

"The above-said are urged to decline the offer of a public job or resign voluntarily," Jeon Jong-hun, a priest, told a press conference at a cathedral in northeast Seoul. "That would be the only way for them to beg for forgiveness from the people and help the newly launched government."

Samsung rejected the allegations, calling them "groundless and nothing but a unilateral claim," said Yim Jun-seok, a Samsung spokesman. He added that Samsung has never given bribes to "anybody whatsoever."

Both the spy agency and the presidential office also denied the accusations.

The seven priests did not elaborate, or state when or how much money the two received.

They also claimed that former Woori Bank President Hwang Young-key, an ex-Samsung executive, played a leading role in managing the slush fund. Hwang has been mentioned in local media reports as a possible candidate to head the Financial Services Commission, which oversees the financial industry.

That job went to Jun Kwang-Woo, chairman of Deloitte Consulting Korea, the presidential office announced earlier in the day.

Hwang was not available for comment, but Yonhap news agency reported that he also rejected the allegations.

Wednesday's accusations appeared to be based on information from Kim Yong-chul, who was not at the briefing. Kim and the priests' group, which actively supported South Korea's pro-democracy movement in the 1970s and 1980s, have complained about the intensity and the pace of the investigation launched in January.

The claims were a potential blow to the administration of President Lee Myung-bak, who only took office last week.

Samsung, South Korea's biggest conglomerate, consists of dozens of diverse corporations, some unlisted, and has a complex ownership structure involving cross-shareholdings by group companies.