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It is controversial as it has been revealed that a company actually owned by the person who sponsored President Yoon Seok-yeol during the last presidential election signed a contract with the presidential office for the number of robot dogs for security.
The president's office refuted the allegation of preferential treatment, saying that it had undergone rigorous verification and had no influence on the contract process.
This is Reporter Yoo Soo-hwan.
<Reporter> This
is the appearance of a robot dog that appeared in Yongsan Park in Seoul last June.
It was introduced by the President's Office as part of 'science security', and robot dogs from Boston Dynamics, which is being developed by Hyundai Motor Company, and Gostrobotics, an American robot company, have been subject to pilot operation.
Afterwards, the Presidential Security Service signed a final lease contract with company A, the domestic distributor of Ghoststrobotics, in September.
The borrowing cost was decided to pay 18 million won for 3 months at 6 million won per month.
Since it was a service of less than 20 million won, it was done through a private contract.
The Security Agency has set aside 800 million won for next year's budget.
However, it is difficult to find a robot-related business in Company A's career.
It was only last May that a distributor contract was signed with an American company, and the CEO and auditor are doctors, and the actual owner, Mr. Seo, is listed as the 'Chairman of the Drone Association' on the list of executives.
In addition, it was confirmed that Mr. Seo paid 10 million won, the legal maximum, to presidential candidate Seok-yeol Yoon in July of last year.
I went to the company to hear Mr. Seo's explanation, but I couldn't meet him.
[Company A employee: I can say that I am the only one who goes to work.]
[Director of company A: We also can't talk to the chairman right now.
I ca n't give you an answer.] In response to the question
of whether it was a 'preferential contract', the Office of the President refuted, saying, "Robot security is a project that has been reviewed since the Moon Jae-in administration, and was decided through a fair and transparent contract process."
In addition, regarding Seo's payment of donations and whether or not he was invited to the presidential inauguration ceremony, he said, "I did not know at all and had no effect on the contract process."
(Video coverage: Jeil and Yoon hyung, video editing: Choi Jin-hwa)