Yoon Seok-yeol's Side Calls Lee Jae-myung's Seongnam FC Allegation a "Bribery Crime"

People Power Party's Yoon Seok-yeol, a presidential pre-candidate, is answering reporters' questions after visiting party leader Lee Jun-seok, floor leader Kim Ki-hyun, and Supreme Council members at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 2nd.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] The legal team of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, reiterated allegations of 'bribery related to Seongnam FC sponsorship funds' against Lee Jae-myung, the Gyeonggi Province Governor and presidential candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea.

Today (7th), Yoon’s campaign legal team stated in a press release, "If companies were granted land-use changes in exchange for benefits that were then recouped to strengthen one’s political position, this constitutes a bribery crime."

This is interpreted as a rebuttal to Lee’s explanation the previous day, where he said, "Even if Seongnam FC received advertising fees on the condition of land-use changes, it benefits the citizens." The legal team emphasized, "It is clear that Lee had established private and political interests regarding the operation of Seongnam FC," adding, "He himself stated in a 2016 interview that he was gaining political ambitions and benefits through Seongnam FC."

Previously, Lee was reported for bribery charges related to attracting advertising fees from local companies in 2015 when he was the mayor of Seongnam and the owner of Seongnam FC. Yoon’s side has claimed that these allegations are "structurally similar to the K-Sports Foundation corruption."

Additionally, the legal team pointed out, "The issue is whether the mayor of Seongnam pressured companies to sponsor Seongnam FC under the pretext of resolving pending matters," and noted, "Since Lee rebutted by implying that there was no problem, it appears he acknowledged the facts." They further emphasized, "If the mayor was not simultaneously the club owner, which company would readily sponsor billions of won? If there was pressure or some form of deal during the sponsorship process, this clearly constitutes third-party bribery."

Meanwhile, regarding Lee’s 'Governor Chance' controversy, the legal team added, "He is under investigation for abusing public authority for his political gain while serving as mayor, and one cannot help but ask whether he intends to use the Gyeonggi Governor position in a similar manner."

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