Police Launch Supplementary Investigation into ‘Seongnam FC Allegations’… Possible Summons of Lee

Reviewing Transferred Case Records
Summons Investigation Attempt Failed Last Year Too
Possibility of Written Investigation Due to Election Impact

Bundang Police Station / Photo by Bundang Police Station Homepage Capture

[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Jo and Byeongdon Yoo] On the 10th, it was reported that the police have opened the possibility of summoning Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, for questioning and have begun supplementary investigations into the allegations regarding donations to Seongnam FC. However, there is also a view that the police will not forcibly demand the ruling party's presidential candidate to appear amid the presidential election phase.

According to a comprehensive report by Asia Economy, the Bundang Police Station in Seongnam received the case concerning the Seongnam FC donation allegations from the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch the previous afternoon and is currently reviewing the records. At the investigation initiation stage, the police are comparing the supplementary requests made by the prosecution with the existing investigation records. The plan is to identify any shortcomings in the previous investigation to determine the presence or absence of charges and proceed with supplementary investigations. During last year's investigation, the police attempted to summon candidate Lee for questioning. However, Lee strongly opposed it, calling it "political interference by the police," and instead responded through written statements. Currently, the police are also reportedly examining whether there are any inconsistencies between Lee's written responses and the prosecution's supplementary investigation requests.

The police's stance is interpreted as a response to controversies surrounding the prosecution and police over allegations of 'lenient investigations' and 'cover-ups' related to the Seongnam FC donation case. Last year, the police closed the case without summoning the accused, citing 'insufficient evidence,' which led to criticism of an overt 'lenient investigation' toward a leading ruling party presidential candidate. After the complainant filed an objection, the case was transferred to the Seongnam Branch, where Park Eun-jung, the branch chief known for her pro-government stance, repeatedly rejected the investigation team's opinions that 'reinvestigation was necessary,' raising suspicions of a cover-up. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Park Ha-young of the Seongnam Branch, who was in charge of the investigation, also tendered his resignation. Following the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office's directive on the 7th to conduct supplementary investigations at the Seongnam Branch, the baton has passed back to the police, who now face the task of dispelling the 'vicious cycle of controversy' through future investigations.

However, even if the police confirm the need to investigate candidate Lee through record reviews, it is widely expected that they will not immediately demand his appearance. Given the upcoming presidential election, summoning the ruling party's candidate could provide grounds for political attacks, which is seen as a burden for the police. Accordingly, there is a prevailing view inside and outside the police that written questioning will be prioritized again for candidate Lee. Kim Bok-jun, a visiting professor at the Central Police Academy, said, "Generally, if there is no risk of evidence destruction or flight, even ordinary individuals are questioned in writing. If the written responses contradict the evidence investigated by the police in an unreasonable way and further verification is deemed necessary, then a summons will be requested."

The Seongnam FC donation allegations center on claims that candidate Lee, who served as mayor of Seongnam and was the club owner of Seongnam FC from 2015 to 2017, received approximately 16 billion KRW from six companies (Doosan Construction, Naver, Nonghyup, Bundang CHA Hospital, Hyundai Department Store, and Alphadom City) under the name of donations and advertising fees, and in return provided special favors. The investigation began in June 2018 following a complaint by the Bareunmirae Party. After a 3-year and 3-month investigation, the police decided on September 6 last year not to prosecute, stating, "There is insufficient evidence to conclude that then-Mayor Lee Jae-myung received bribes or caused bribes to be given to third parties in relation to his duties." The case was transferred to the prosecution following the complainant's objection, then sent back to the police for supplementary investigation requests, and has been stalled in the investigation phase for 3 years and 8 months since the initial complaint.

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