Prosecutors Arrest 'Daejang-dong Keyman' Yoo Dong-gyu in Hospital Emergency Room and Are Investigating (Comprehensive)

One of the key figures in the Daejang-dong scandal, former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Director Yoo Dong-gyu [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The prosecution arrested and is currently investigating Yoo Dong-gyu, former Planning Director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, who led the Daejang-dong development project, on the 1st. The Daejang-dong Development Suspicion Special Investigation Team (Team Leader: Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Tae-hoon) of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office arrested Yoo at an emergency room of a hospital that morning. The investigation team reportedly secured Yoo's custody immediately, fearing that he might refuse to appear for questioning citing health issues. Yoo was originally scheduled to appear at the prosecution at 10 a.m. that day but visited the emergency room early in the morning complaining of acute abdominal pain.

Yoo had also refused to appear before the investigation team the previous day, citing reasons such as appointing a lawyer. Later, Yoo announced through the media that he would appear that day. However, on the day of the investigation, he delayed his appearance by an hour, citing treatment and examination at the emergency room. The investigation team visited the hospital emergency room, assessed his condition, and judged that he was not in a critical state preventing him from being questioned, and reportedly transferred him to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

The investigation team is reportedly focusing on questioning Yoo about whether the development profits of private businesses flowed to the government. The recorded files submitted by accountant Jung Young-hak reportedly contain evidence of large sums of bribes being delivered to political and legal circles. In addition, the investigation team is expected to investigate Yoo comprehensively regarding the preferential treatment suspicions related to the Daejang-dong development project.

Yoo is a figure involved in the Daejang-dong development project and is suspected of designing the shareholder composition of 'Seongnam's Garden,' the project executor, and the profit distribution method to give preferential treatment to Hwacheon Daeyu. Although Yoo denies all such allegations, there are talks within and outside the prosecution that, considering the allegations raised so far, the possibility of requesting an arrest warrant cannot be ruled out. Earlier, on the 29th of last month, Yoo attempted to destroy evidence by throwing his mobile phone out of a window during a prosecution search. The risk of evidence destruction is one of the key conditions for issuing an arrest warrant.

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