The Central District Prosecutors' Office Begins Fact-Checking on Allegations of 'Targeted Investigation of Lee Jae-myung'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office has begun verifying the facts regarding allegations that it pressured inmates to report corruption involving Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung.

On the 7th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office stated, "Regarding the allegations of coercion or pressure during the investigation process, the Human Rights Protection Office plans to verify the facts and check for any human rights violations."

This concerns allegations raised by KBS. KBS reported that in 2017, while investigating Lee Mo (40), a member of the 'Gukje Mafia-pa' organization suspected of operating an illegal online gambling site, the Violent Crimes Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office pressured him to testify about misconduct by then Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung. When Lee Mo did not comply, retaliatory investigations were allegedly conducted against his family.

The chief prosecutor A, who was head of the Violent Crimes Division at the time, denied the allegations. He also emphasized, "There was no investigation or report related to then Mayor Lee Jae-myung or others."

The prosecution indicted Lee Mo in December 2017 on charges of operating an illegal online gambling site, and from 2018 to 2019, he was additionally indicted on charges including retaliatory assault under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, bribery, breach of trust under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, and embezzlement in the course of business.

In October 2019, Lee Mo was sentenced in the first trial to seven years in prison, a fine of 5 million won, and confiscation of approximately 4.1 billion won for operating an illegal gambling site and other charges. The appellate court ruling is scheduled for the 10th.

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