Former Seongnam City Council Chairman Choi Yoon-gil Arrested on 4 Billion Won Daejang-dong Corruption Allegation (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] Former Seongnam City Council Chairman Choi Yoon-gil, who is accused of receiving bribes from Hwacheon Daeyu, a private business operator involved in the Daejang-dong development project in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, has been detained. Choi's detention is the first case of a suspect being arrested since the police launched an investigation into Daejang-dong.

On the 18th, Suwon District Court Judge Oh Dae-seok, in charge of warrants, issued an arrest warrant for Choi around 9 p.m., stating, "The suspicion of the crime is substantiated, and there is a concern of evidence tampering."

Earlier, the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency, investigating the preferential treatment allegations in the Daejang-dong development project, applied for an arrest warrant for Choi on charges of post-factum bribery, which the prosecution accepted and requested from the court.

Choi is accused of assisting Hwacheon Daeyu by passing the ordinance to establish the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation for the Daejang-dong public-private joint development during his tenure as city council chairman in 2013. In return, he allegedly became vice chairman of Hwacheon Daeyu in 2020, receiving a salary of 100 million won and agreeing to receive performance bonuses exceeding 4 billion won.

In particular, the police believe that in March 2012, Choi received a request from Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, saying, "If you pass the ordinance to establish the corporation, I will appoint you later," and that Choi played a leading role in passing the ordinance. The police reportedly noted in the 30-page arrest warrant application that Choi attempted to coordinate stories with a resident named Lee, who was the chairman of the Daejang-dong Urban Development Promotion Committee, around October to November last year.

However, Choi's side has denied all related charges. They stated, "After the ordinance to establish the corporation was passed in 2013, we first met Kim through accountant Jung Young-hak and never received any requests related to the corporation's establishment."

On the day of the warrant hearing, when asked by reporters, "Do you admit the charges?" and "Was there any quid pro quo for passing the ordinance?" Choi briefly replied, "I'm sorry." During a police investigation in November last year, when asked about rumors that he had received a vehicle, he expressed displeasure, saying, "You're writing fiction." At that time, the police conducted searches of Choi's residence in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, and Hwacheon Daeyu's office in Seongnam.

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