Yoo Sang-beom "All Daejang-dong Issues Pointed at Lee Jae-myung"... Lee Jung-soo "Lee Jae-myung Also Within Investigation Scope"

Relentless Assault Continues Against Governor Lee Jae-myung Involved in Daejang-dong Allegations

Yoo Sang-beom, member of the People Power Party.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] During the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s audit of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and others, opposition party lawmakers launched a barrage of attacks urging an investigation into Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, who is implicated in the 'Daejang-dong Development Project preferential treatment and lobbying' allegations.

Yoo Sang-beom, a former chief prosecutor and member of the People Power Party, pointed out, "All matters are directed toward Governor Lee Jae-myung," and Lee Jung-soo, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, responded to opposition lawmakers' questions by saying, "(Governor Lee) is also within the scope of the investigation."

At the Legislation and Judiciary Committee audit, which began at 10 a.m. that day, Jeon Ju-hye, a People Power Party lawmaker, mentioned President Moon Jae-in’s recent order for a thorough investigation into the Daejang-dong allegations and asked Prosecutor Lee, "Which part do you think should be investigated most thoroughly? What do you think is the core issue?"

Prosecutor Lee avoided a direct answer, saying, "It would mean mentioning the investigative plan..."

Lawmaker Jeon said, "This is a case of national interest and could affect the presidential election," adding, "I think there are two most important points. One is to accurately identify who created this development structure that granted astronomical profits to private contractors and hold them accountable. The second is to determine to whom these astronomical profits were distributed and whether there were any illegal processes involved."

Jeon asked Prosecutor Lee, "The main entity responsible for the Daejang-dong development is Seongnam City. The mayor of Seongnam is the final permit authority and decision-maker. Therefore, shouldn’t Seongnam City Hall be subject to a search and seizure?"

Prosecutor Lee replied, "I am aware that there are many criticisms in the media and other areas," and avoided a direct answer by saying, "Regarding specific matters, we..."

When Jeon asked again, "You have not yet conducted a search and seizure of Seongnam City Hall. Do you have no intention of doing so?" Prosecutor Lee responded, "It is difficult to specifically comment on the necessity of a search and seizure, but when the corporation handled permits, all approvals were done electronically."

Jeon criticized, "The president clearly ordered a swift investigation, but it seems you are turning a deaf ear to his words."

He asked, "You agree that the core of this case must be thoroughly uncovered, right?" and added, "One of the ongoing interests is who 'that person' is."

He continued, "There are various theories about the real owner of Cheonhwa-dongin No. 1, but according to Kim Man-bae’s recorded statement, half of the profits from Cheonhwa-dongin No. 1 belong to that person. Kim testified to this, but his wife has not."

He added, "Therefore, you must thoroughly reveal who that person is, who the actual owner of Cheonhwa-dongin No. 1 is, and to whom the profits ultimately flowed," and said, "I want to express some doubt about whether there is the will to investigate."

Jeon said, "Ultimately, the investigation’s blade must point toward Governor Lee Jae-myung," and asked, "Is Governor Lee included in the investigation target?"

Prosecutor Lee replied, "He is currently under accusation."

When Jeon asked again, "So he is a subject of investigation?" Prosecutor Lee answered, "He is included within the scope of the investigation."

However, when Jeon asked whether the plan to summon Governor Lee for questioning is included in the overall investigation plan, Prosecutor Lee avoided a direct answer, saying, "It does not seem appropriate to mention summons plans or whether a specific individual will be investigated."

Meanwhile, before his questioning, Yoo Sang-beom of the People Power Party said, "I will start by showing a video," and played several videos including one where Governor Lee states at a press conference that he designed the Daejang-dong project and that Yoo Dong-gyu was the executive, and another where he recently acknowledged his management responsibility and apologized.

Yoo then said, "There is only one objective truth," and added, "If the statements about one objective truth keep changing depending on the situation, we say that person is lying."

He said, "Governor Lee is basically lying about the Daejang-dong gate."

Yoo said, "On the 12th, a five-term Democratic Party lawmaker overcame various internal pressures and appeared on a radio broadcast, stating that he secured testimony linking Governor Lee to Daejang-dong, and that he personally met with at least three involved parties," adding, "It is very significant that a prominent senior lawmaker came forward despite internal pressures and said, 'Governor Lee is involved in this Daejang-dong corruption gate. It must be investigated,'” and asked Prosecutor Lee for his view.

Prosecutor Lee replied, "Yes, I will check later," and Yoo emphasized again, "You must verify this directly later."

Yoo said, "I assume you have confirmed during the investigation that the clause for recovering excess profits was initially included in the Daejang-dong development process but later removed."

Prosecutor Lee answered, "Yes, it is all within the scope of the investigation."

Yoo said, "According to the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation’s ordinances and articles of incorporation, any changes or decisions regarding profit recovery regulations must be reported to Governor Lee," and added, "I understand you have grasped those details."

He emphasized, "This was a project Governor Lee prioritized. The Seongnam Urban Development Corporation is wholly owned by Seongnam City. Yoo Dong-gyu is called 'Governor Lee’s equipment' and 'Gestapo (German secret police),' a close aide. So, wouldn’t Governor Lee have been informed about this process? This is why an investigation of Governor Lee is necessary."

Yoo asked, "Today, media reports say that there will be no questioning of higher-ups regarding Yoo Dong-gyu. That is obviously not true, right?" Prosecutor Lee replied, "That is groundless."

Yoo said, "Kim Man-bae’s recorded statement says, 'Half of Cheonhwa-dongin No. 1 belongs to that person,' which has drawn media attention and controversy," and added, "It is difficult for the prosecution to directly confirm the recorded statement, but according to Nam Wook’s remarks, Kim Man-bae is five years older than Yoo Dong-gyu, and they always called each other hyung (older brother) and dongsaeng (younger brother). In that relationship, it is unlikely that Yoo Dong-gyu would be referred to as 'that person.'"

He continued, "The media reports that Kim Man-bae made these remarks to Jeong Yong-hak and Nam Wook," and said, "Therefore, the only person we can assume here is Governor Lee."

Yoo also emphasized, "Moreover, Kim Man-bae personally visited Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soon-il eight times around the time of an important ruling on Governor Lee’s election law violation. This would not happen unless it was a very special case. All matters are pointing toward Governor Lee."

Yoo criticized the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office for the exposure of the fact that the prosecution received recorded statements from accountant Jeong Young-hak and for failing to secure Yoo Dong-gyu’s cellphone, saying, "There is much criticism of the Central District Prosecutors' Office investigation."

He also pointed out that while investigating the case targeting Governor Lee, no search and seizure has been conducted at Seongnam City Hall or the secretary of this secretary.

Yoo warned that if the prosecution does not investigate with a sense of mission now, a special prosecutor may be appointed, and in that case, the junior prosecutors currently investigating this case will be stigmatized as political prosecutors.

In response to these criticisms, Prosecutor Lee said regarding the recorded statements, "There may be parts related to new evidence unknown to us, and the facts need to be confirmed," adding, "We cannot definitively say whether it is a false report or not."

Regarding the prosecution’s will to investigate, he said, "We will ascertain the facts based on the evidence and investigate accordingly," and added, "There are always concerns about the investigation team’s will, but I trust our team’s capability and fairness."

Meanwhile, the opposition’s offensive regarding the Daejang-dong allegations continued during the resumed audit at 2:30 p.m. that day.

Kwon Seong-dong, a People Power Party lawmaker, likened those involved in the Daejang-dong gate to the mafia and raised his voice, saying, "We must reveal who the mafia boss is."

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