Prosecutors Indict Lawmaker Jeong Chan-min on Bribery Charges and Detain Him

Jeong Chan-min, Member of the People Power Party [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Jeong Chan-min, a member of the People Power Party and former mayor of Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, has been indicted and is on trial in custody on charges of providing permit conveniences to a housing construction developer and receiving undue benefits.

On the 1st, the Criminal Division 6 of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Byeong-mun) formally charged Jeong on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery). Real estate developer Mr. A was non-custodially indicted on charges of giving bribes to Jeong, and real estate broker Mr. B was also non-custodially indicted on charges of assisting the crime (bribery facilitation under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes) under Jeong’s instructions.

Jeong is accused of, while serving as mayor from 2014 to 2018, facilitating permits for Mr. A’s housing construction project in the Giheung-gu area of Yongin City and demanding bribes in return. Mr. B is suspected of acting as a broker in this process.

Jeong instructed the responsible officials to expedite permits related to Mr. A’s project and, by February 2017, acquired four land parcels within the project site at about 406 million KRW below market price through his elder brother, friends, and other third parties. He is believed to have received a total bribe worth approximately 462 million KRW, including 56 million KRW paid on his behalf for land acquisition and registration taxes.

At that time, the market price of the land was about 2.5 billion KRW in total, but Jeong’s family and acquaintances purchased it for about 2 billion KRW, roughly 400 million KRW cheaper. As of August, the market price of these lands has more than doubled to approximately 4 billion KRW, significantly increasing in value since before the project.

Meanwhile, the prosecution requested an arrest warrant for Jeong on September 16. The National Assembly approved the consent for his arrest at a plenary session on the 29th of the same month. The court held a pre-arrest hearing on the 5th of last month and issued the arrest warrant for Jeong.

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