'8-Hour Police Investigation of Ki Sung-yong's Father Over Suspected Violation of Farmland Act... Coordination of Ki Sung-yong's Summons Schedule'

Ki Sung-yueng. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Ki Young-ok, former Gwangju FC director and father of FC Seoul player Ki Sung-yueng, who is suspected of violating the Farmland Act, appeared before the police for questioning. The police plan to summon Ki Sung-yueng for investigation soon.

According to the government joint special investigation headquarters (Special Investigation Unit) on the 30th, the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit of the Gwangju Police Agency summoned former director Ki at 9 a.m. the previous day and questioned him for about eight hours. Former director Ki was originally scheduled to appear on the morning of the 28th but postponed the investigation by one day due to personal reasons.

The two are reported to have purchased more than ten parcels of land, including rice paddies and fields in a park area in Geumho-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, worth tens of billions of won between 2015 and 2016. However, suspicions of speculation arose as the land was included in or adjacent to the Mareuk Park development project, a private park special project site.

In particular, the police are investigating the violation of the Farmland Act, considering that Ki Sung-yueng was playing in the English Premier League (EPL) at the time and realistically had neither the intention nor the ability to farm the land. Former director Ki explained, "The land was purchased to establish a soccer center named after Ki Sung-yueng," and said, "It is unfair to say it was bought for speculation." The police are also coordinating a summons schedule with Ki Sung-yueng.

The handling of suspects among public officials involved in speculation allegations is accelerating. A pre-trial detention hearing for retired correctional officer A, suspected of speculation on the planned site of Daejeon Prison relocation, will be held at 2 p.m. today at the Daejeon District Court. A warrant hearing for Gunpo city officials who purchased and sold land near the Daeyami public housing district in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, to gain price differences will be held on the 3rd of next month. The prosecution is also reported to have requested an arrest warrant from the court for a member of the Anyang City Council involved in speculation allegations.

Meanwhile, the cumulative number of reports to the police reporting center, launched on the 15th of last month, reached 1,010 on this day, surpassing 1,000 reports in 47 days since its launch. A Special Investigation Unit official explained, "There is some significance, and we are conducting investigations based on the reports."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.