Prosecutors Summon Secretary-General from Lee Jae-myung's Seongnam Mayor Era... Will It Become a Stepping Stone for Investigating 'Upper Echelons' in Daejang-dong Scandal? (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] On the 24th, the prosecution investigating the preferential treatment and lobbying allegations related to the Daejang-dong development summoned the chief secretary who worked with Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office dedicated investigation team (Team Leader Kim Tae-hoon, 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor) called former Seongnam Mayor's Chief Secretary Lim Seung-min as a witness in the afternoon to verify the overall decision-making process of the Daejang-dong project.

Former Chief Secretary Lim was one of the close aides who assisted candidate Lee, who served as Seongnam mayor for nearly two years starting July 2014. He served as chief secretary during the period when private developers in Daejang-dong colluded with Yoo Dong-gyu, then head of planning at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, to carry out the Daejang-dong public-private joint development, making him a key figure knowledgeable about Seongnam City's level of involvement.

Although not an approver, former Chief Secretary Lim signed and stamped as a collaborator on several documents such as the 'Review Report on the Plan to Recover Service Fees for the Daejang-dong and 1st Industrial Complex Combined Urban Development Project,' 'Investment Approval Review Report,' and 'Development Plan Amendment Proposal Report.'

Accordingly, the legal community is paying close attention to whether the summons and investigation of former Chief Secretary Lim could serve as a stepping stone to investigate higher-ups involved in the Daejang-dong allegations. There are also expectations that former Chief Secretary Jeong Jin-sang will be summoned and investigated soon after Lim. Around Seongnam City, it is said that all important documents reaching candidate Lee at the time were reported through former Chief Secretary Jeong.

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