Court Approves Seizure of 352 Million KRW from Yoo Dong-gyu on Charges of Bribery in Daejang-dong Team Case

Yoo Dong-gyu, former Planning Director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] The court has frozen approximately 350 million won suspected to have been received as bribes by former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Planning Director Yoo Dong-gyu from the 'Daejang-dong team,' preventing him from disposing of the funds.

According to the legal community on the 15th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 22 (Presiding Judge Yang Cheol-han) recently approved the prosecution's request for seizure preservation of 352 million won of Yoo's assets. The target includes Yoo's lease deposit refund claims and deposit claims in about ten banks.

Seizure preservation is a procedure that freezes suspected proceeds obtained through crimes until the defendants' guilt is confirmed. Following this measure, former Director Yoo cannot arbitrarily dispose of the claims, and any money deposited into accounts under Yoo's name will also be frozen.

The court stated the reason for approval, saying, "There is substantial reason to believe that seizure is necessary, and there is concern that the enforcement of the seizure judgment may become impossible or significantly difficult."

The prosecution believes that Yoo, who worked as the Planning and Management Director at Seongnam Facilities Management Corporation in 2013, received bribes equivalent to the amount subject to seizure preservation from lawyer Nam Wook. The funds were investigated to have been prepared by lawyer Nam, accountant Jeong Young-hak, owner of Cheonhwa Dongin No. 5, a subsidiary of Hwacheon Daeyu, and developer Jeong Jae-chang of Wirye New Town.

Meanwhile, the prosecution investigating the Daejang-dong development lobbying and preferential treatment allegations reportedly requested the police on the 9th to share forensic data from the mobile phone of former Director Yoo, which is being examined by the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency. The phone was the device Yoo threw out the window just before the prosecution's search at the end of last September.

The prosecution and police investigating the Daejang-dong allegations held an investigative coordination meeting from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on the same day, with the dedicated team leader participating. The meeting included the 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the head of the investigation department of the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency, and three members each from the prosecution and police.

At the meeting, the police stated they would actively consider sharing Yoo's forensic data with the prosecution.

The prosecution's dedicated investigation team summoned lawyer Nam and lawyer Jeong Min-yong, former head of the Strategic Business Office at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, for further questioning on the same day.

Hwacheon Daeyu major shareholder Kim Man-bae did not respond to the summons on the day, citing health reasons.

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