Seongnam FC Sponsorship Fund Allegations, Bundang Police Station Investigates Again... Seongnam District Prosecutors' Office Requests Supplementary Investigation

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The 'Seongnam FC Sponsorship Fund Suspicion' case is returning to the Bundang Police Station, which initially handled the investigation.

On the 8th, the Seongnam Branch Prosecutor's Office stated, "We respect the direction of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office and have requested supplementary investigation from the Bundang Police Station to address some deficiencies in judging the presence or absence of charges."

Earlier, the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office had directed the Seongnam Branch Prosecutor's Office regarding the handling of the Seongnam FC case, saying, "Based on the investigation results so far, it is somewhat insufficient to determine whether charges exist," and indicated the need for supplementary investigation. The decision by the Seongnam Branch Prosecutor's Office on this day is a follow-up action according to the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office's direction.

Accordingly, the case will be reinvestigated by the Bundang Police Station. The Bundang Police Station had previously examined this case and, in September of last year, made a decision of no charges against candidate Lee and dismissed the case. Following this, the complainant filed an objection, and the Seongnam Branch Prosecutor's Office received the case to review whether to reinvestigate. During this process, allegations arose that Branch Chief Park Eun-jung repeatedly ignored requests from the investigation team for reinvestigation or supplementary investigation.

If supplementary investigation is conducted, there is a possibility that new charges against candidate Lee and others may be discovered, or, as in the first investigation, a decision of no charges may be made. However, with the presidential election just a month away, the prevailing view is that the likelihood of substantial investigation proceeding before then is extremely low.

The Seongnam FC sponsorship fund suspicion involves Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, allegedly receiving sponsorship funds amounting to about 16 billion won from Naver and others during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam, and providing conveniences such as permits and approvals to companies.

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