Police Launch Investigation into Current and Former Mapo District Council Chairpersons over 'Land Speculation Allegations'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The police have launched an investigation into allegations that a former and current chairperson of the Mapo District Council engaged in real estate speculation in their constituencies.

According to the police on the 23rd, the Seoul Mapo Police Station received the case from the National Police Agency’s National Investigation Headquarters earlier this month and is currently investigating allegations of real estate speculation involving Cho Young-deok, chairperson of the Mapo District Council affiliated with the People Power Party, and Lee Pil-rye, former chairperson of the Mapo District Council affiliated with the Democratic Party.

Previously, the Mapo District Public Officials Corruption Countermeasure Committee (Countermeasure Committee) requested an investigation by the National Investigation Headquarters last month, urging punishment for the two on charges of violating the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act.

The Countermeasure Committee claimed that Chairperson Cho ran for and was elected as the head of the redevelopment project association for Gongdeok Market in Mapo while serving as chairperson. Local council members can obtain various development information from the district office that grants redevelopment permits, which can lead to conflicts of interest if they serve as heads of redevelopment associations within their jurisdiction. Additionally, the husband of former Chairperson Lee reportedly divided shares of housing and land in Nogosan-dong, where redevelopment is intensifying, in January of this year, just before the Mapo District Office banned 'share splitting.'

The police plan to conduct a witness investigation of the Countermeasure Committee on the 1st of next month.

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