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President Roh Moo-hyun on Sunday ordered a through investigation into problems surrounding highly addictive video arcade gambling machines while denying allegations that a relative was involved in the games¡¯ rapid growth. The president¡¯s nephew Roh Ji-won had served as director of Woojyun Systec -- the maker of the addictive game ¡°Sea Story.¡±
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People are engrossed in ¡°Sea Story¡± at a game facility in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province on Sunday.
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The president made the remarks during a meeting with ruling Uri Party members at Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday, in which Roh stressed the need to get to the bottom of the issue to see whether there were any "policy failures," Jun Hae-chul, the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs said. Roh flatly denied charges against his nephew, saying the man has nothing to do with the ¡°Sea Story,¡± so there was nothing to worry about. Critics say Roh¡¯s remarks tantamount to an investigation guideline.
¡°Once the investigation is wrapped up, it will clearly show that it was only an accusation just like previous scandals that weren¡¯t based on the facts,¡± Roh said. ¡°Consequently, once the error in implementing administrative policy is found out, it will once again confirm there was no such thing as a (gambling)-gate,¡± he added.
The Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea said it will launch an on-the-spot investigation at government bodies involved in making and implementing game policies. An official with the BAI said it will interview officials with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Korea Media Rating Board and collect related data before setting up an inspection schedule. The Korea Media Rating Board approved the game, while Ministry of Culture and Tourism selected firms that could issue gift coupons used as real currency in those game facilities. It will look closely at possible policy error in cooperation with the prosecution, which is investigating the game makers.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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