Prosecution Summons Jeong Jin-sang Imminent... Will Investigation of Higher-Ups Open After 100 Days?

Investigation Unavoidable into Core Approval Line of Daejang-dong Development, Including Former President Hwang Mu-seong's Resignation and Suspicions of Phone Calls with Former Director Yoo Dong-gyu

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Jung Jinsang, Deputy Chief Secretary of the Central Election Countermeasures Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea (former Seongnam City Policy Director), is undergoing prosecution investigation related to the Daejang-dong development preferential treatment and lobbying allegations. This is the first investigation of higher-ups conducted 100 days after the launch of the Daejang-dong investigation team.

According to the legal community on the 7th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office dedicated investigation team (led by Kim Taehoon) will summon Deputy Chief Jung as a suspect as early as tomorrow for questioning. Although Deputy Chief Jung may request a change of appearance date citing campaign schedules, it is difficult to avoid the summons as the Daejang-dong investigation is seen as a gateway to higher-level probes.

Initially, the investigation team had planned to summon Deputy Chief Jung in early last month. However, the schedule was delayed due to a series of extreme choices by key officials of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation at that time. Currently, Deputy Chief Jung has hired a lawyer who previously defended Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, in a past election law violation case to prepare for the investigation.

As the former Seongnam City Policy Director, Deputy Chief Jung personally approved major official documents related to the planning, establishment, and implementation plan approval of the Daejang-dong development between 2013 and 2016. Most of these were matters that then-Mayor Lee Jae-myung of Seongnam City received final reports on, including documents that could confirm the existence of Hwacheon Daeyu or Cheonhwa-dongin, such as investment approval reviews and changes to urban development project area plans.

However, during the investigation of Seongnam city officials, the investigation team never summoned Deputy Chief Jung even once. In particular, during the early stages of the Seongnam City Hall search and seizure, records related to emails of candidate Lee or Deputy Chief Jung were not included, which fueled controversy.

The investigation team will focus on verifying allegations that Deputy Chief Jung was involved in pressuring Hwang Mu-seong, the first president of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, to resign (abuse of authority and obstruction of rights) during this summons. The team is expected to investigate whether Deputy Chief Jung pressured former President Hwang to resign and whether candidate Lee was involved in this.

Former President Hwang was pressured to resign on February 6, 2015, and the statute of limitations for the resignation pressure allegation is seven years. Considering this, the case must be concluded by early next month at the latest. With the presidential election just over two months away, the investigation team appears to have judged that it is difficult to delay the summons any further.

Additionally, Deputy Chief Jung was found to have had multiple phone calls with Yoo Dong-gyu, former Planning Director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, who is considered a 'key man' in the Daejang-dong incident. Deputy Chief Jung reportedly exchanged intensive communications around September 29 of last year, when former Director Yoo was subjected to a search and seizure. However, Deputy Chief Jung explained in a statement issued in November last year, when the phone call fact was first reported, that "Given the situation where the media was extensively reporting, the image of former Director Yoo Dong-gyu I knew was very different, so I judged that direct confirmation was necessary."

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