Namuk "The term 'that person' used by Kim Man-bae is not an expression used for Yudonggyu"

"Kim Man-bae says half of Hwacheon Daeyu shares belong to Yoo Dong-gyu"
"Upper-level unknown, but final decision-maker is Yoo Dong-gyu"

Nam Wook, the lawyer who is the actual owner of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management (Hwacheon Daeyu), which is suspected of preferential treatment in the Daejang-dong development project in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, and Cheonhwa Dongin No. 4, an affiliate of Hwacheon Daeyu. / Photo by Yonhap News, JTBC broadcast screen capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Nam Wook, a key figure in the preferential treatment and lobbying allegations related to the Daejang-dong development project in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, has spoken out. On the 12th, Nam stated, "I heard from Kim Man-bae that half of the (Hwacheon Daeyu) shares belong to former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Planning Director Yoo Dong-gyu."

Currently staying in the United States, Nam, in an interview with JTBC Newsroom, responded to the question of whether Kim is the real owner of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management (Hwacheon Daeyu) by saying, "I have heard from Chairman Kim Man-bae that former Director Yoo Dong-gyu has shares." Nam is known to be the real owner of Cheonhwa Dongin No. 4, an affiliate of Hwacheon Daeyu, having invested 87.21 million KRW in the Daejang-dong development project and received dividends of about 100.7 billion KRW.

Regarding allegations that Hwacheon Daeyu engaged in lobbying involving hundreds of billions of KRW, Nam said, "I heard that Kim planned to give 3.5 billion KRW to seven people, 500 million KRW each," adding, "I thought it would be a big problem if such talk got out." When asked if he knew who the seven people were, he replied, "Kim mentioned some specifically, and most are the people who have appeared in the media now," adding, "I also heard the names mentioned in the articles at that time."

Regarding reports of a recording in which Kim said about the Cheonhwa Dongin No. 1 dividends, "Everyone knows that Cheonhwa Dongin No. 1 is not mine," and "Half of it belongs to that person," Nam avoided giving a specific answer, saying, "'That person' is known only to the parties involved. I cannot respond to speculation." However, when asked if Kim could have referred to former Director Yoo as "that person," he said, "I don't recall that. Among us, we were like brothers."

Nam, who was in charge of land acquisition during the Daejang-dong development project, said, "I was completely excluded from the project since 2015, so I don't know much about the profit distribution structure." Nevertheless, he added, "I don't know about the higher-ups, but I understand that Director Yoo was the decision-maker and ultimately decided on this project."

Regarding suspicions of fleeing abroad, Nam explained, "Since 2019, I have been staying in the United States with my family for overseas training, and the claim that I fled is not true," adding, "I plan to return immediately once I settle my family's affairs." He also said, "I apologize for causing a nationwide commotion," and expressed concern that "the interview might cause further misunderstandings, and I was worried about getting caught up in political strife as just an ordinary businessman like me."

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