[Daechang-dong Investigation Fallout] Seongnam City Council Opposition 3 Parties' 'Final Audit' Next Month Draws Attention

Lee Jung-soo, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, is reviewing materials related to the 'Daejang-dong Development Project Suspicion' claimed by Jeon Ju-hye, a member of the People Power Party, during the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office and Suwon High Prosecutors' Office on the 14th.

As the arrest warrant for Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management and a key figure in the Daejang-dong scandal, was dismissed, causing expected setbacks in the prosecution's investigation, attention is focusing on the role of the Seongnam City Council, which has announced a 'final audit' of Seongnam City and Seongnam Urban Development Corporation.

According to the Seongnam City Council on the 15th, the opposition within the council plans to devote full efforts to uncovering the Daejang-dong scandal through administrative audits at the regular session scheduled for next month. A Seongnam City Council official stated, "We plan to utilize the right to request materials to the fullest extent to secure as much related data as possible," adding, "If the submission of materials is delayed or refused, we are even considering administrative litigation."

Since the emergence of allegations of lobbying and preferential treatment in the Daejang-dong development, the minutes of the Seongnam City Council meetings have served as key evidence supporting various allegations. They contained detailed circumstances such as the purchase of Daejang-dong land at a low price and suspicious hiring and activities of key figures involved in Daejang-dong, which were reported through the media. The opposition in the city council expects to confirm the substance of the various allegations raised through the administrative audit and to additionally uncover undisclosed corruption.

However, there are concerns that concrete results may be difficult to expect without the cooperation of the Democratic Party, the majority party in the city council. On the 12th, the opposition's attempt to push for an 'administrative investigation into the Daejang-dong preferential treatment allegations' failed due to opposition from the Democratic Party.

Opposition lawmakers have argued that "excessive dividend profits were concentrated in the private sector during the Daejang-dong development process, revealing that a small number of individuals pocketed thousands of billions of won in profits," raising the need for an administrative investigation. On the other hand, ruling party lawmakers countered, "Since investigations by the prosecution and police are underway and Seongnam City and Seongnam Urban Development Corporation are taking legal and administrative measures, administrative audits are unnecessary."

The agenda was rejected with 15 votes in favor and 19 against out of 34 members present. Fifteen opposition lawmakers, including 13 from the People Power Party, 1 from the Minsheng Party, and 1 from the Awake Citizens Solidarity Party, voted in favor, while 19 lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party opposed it.

Lobbying allegations involving current and former Seongnam City Council members by Hwacheon Daeyu are another variable. According to a recording submitted to the prosecution by accountant Jeong Young-hak, owner of Cheonhwa-dongin No. 5, an affiliate of Hwacheon Daeyu, it is reported that "3 billion won was delivered to the Seongnam City Council chairman, 2 billion won to Seongnam city council members, and the total cash amounted to 35 billion won." The entire Seongnam City Council and Seongnam City are in turmoil over who the current and former council members who received bribes might be. If even partial involvement of current council members is revealed, the city council's efforts to uncover the truth could lose momentum.

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