Lee Jae-myung's Close Aides Jeong Jin-sang and Yoo Dong-gyu 'Phone Call on Day of Search' Report Dispute... Prosecution Says "No Facts Given to Media"

Jung Jin-sang Admits Phone Call in Statement
Initial Leak Source Changed from 'Prosecution' to 'Investigative Authorities' in Statement

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

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] It was revealed on the 4th that Jeong Jin-sang, Deputy Chief of the Secretariat of the Democratic Party's Election Countermeasures Committee (former Gyeonggi Province Policy Director), known as a close aide to Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, had a phone call with Yoo Dong-gyu, former Planning Director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation and a key figure in the Daejang-dong scandal, just before the prosecution's raid last month.

Deputy Chief Jeong issued a statement effectively admitting the phone call and strongly expressed dissatisfaction toward the investigative agencies for leaking such investigation details to the media at a time close to the presidential election. In response, the prosecution denied informing the media of this fact and rebutted Deputy Chief Jeong's claim as a misunderstanding.

The prosecution investigating the Daejang-dong development bribery and preferential treatment allegations secured custody of key figures including Kim Man-bae, major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, and Nam Wook, lawyer and owner of Cheonhwa Dongin No. 4, following Yoo Dong-gyu, thereby gaining momentum in investigating the upper echelons of Seongnam City and lobbying suspicions involving political circles.

With the top leadership of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office currently filled with pro-government prosecutors, the opposition party is calling for the introduction of a special prosecutor, arguing that the prosecution's investigation into the ruling party's presidential candidate cannot be trusted. In this context, attention is focused on whether the phone call between Deputy Chief Jeong, known as Lee Jae-myung's close aide, and former Director Yoo will provide a lead in the investigation against Lee.

On the same day, Chosun Ilbo reported that the prosecution and police confirmed that former Director Yoo had a phone call with Deputy Chief Jeong before the prosecution's raid.

Regarding this, Deputy Chief Jeong stated in a press release, "In a situation where the transcript was widely reported in the media, the image of former Director Yoo, whom I have known, was very different, so I judged that direct confirmation was necessary," effectively admitting the phone call.

He also said, "During the call, I urged former Director Yoo not to hide any wrongdoing and to fully cooperate with the investigation."

Furthermore, Deputy Chief Jeong added, "In this grave situation ahead of the presidential election, I strongly warn the judicial authorities against leaking investigation details about specific individuals who are completely unrelated to the crime to certain media outlets in an attempt to tarnish reputations."

In response to Deputy Chief Jeong's statement, the prosecution pointed out, "There were reports in some media that former Director Yoo and Deputy Chief Jeong had a phone call on the day of the raid on former Director Yoo," and "there were misunderstandings or claims implying that the prosecution informed the media about this."

They continued, "The prosecution has not disclosed any related information to the media," and "the investigation team will continue to do its best to ensure that the honor and privacy of the parties involved are not violated during the investigation process."

Earlier, on the 29th of last month, former Director Yoo, after finishing a phone call during the prosecution's raid, attempted to discard his mobile phone by throwing it out the window before the investigators entered his residence.

The mobile phone, picked up by a passerby at the time, was found after the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency analyzed CCTV footage from surrounding buildings and has been undergoing forensic examination.

Upon analyzing the call records from former Director Yoo's mobile phone, the investigative authorities confirmed that he had a phone call with Deputy Chief Jeong just before the raid on the 29th of last month. However, it is known that these forensic results have not yet been shared with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

Perhaps for this reason, Deputy Chief Jeong initially wrote in his statement that the prosecution was the party that leaked the phone call but later revised it to "judicial authorities" and reissued the statement.

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