'Gwak Sang-do Trial' Witness Jeong Young-hak: "Scared of Kim Man-bae's Connections, Recorded with 3 Recorders"

Accountant Jeong Young-hak on trial for lobbying and preferential treatment allegations in Daejang-dong development / Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Regarding the circumstances under which the recording made by accountant Jeong Young-hak, a key piece of evidence in the 'Daejang-dong Development Special Favoritism Suspicion' case, was created, Jeong stated that he recorded it because he was afraid of Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management (Hwacheon Daeyu), and his network.

On the 27th, the 22nd Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Lee Joon-cheol) held the second trial for former People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Sang-do, Kim, and Nam Wook, the owner of Cheonhwa-dongin No. 4, a subsidiary of Hwacheon Daeyu. Former lawmaker Kwak was prosecuted on charges of facilitating convenience for the Daejang-dong developers and receiving bribes through his son.

Accountant Jeong, who is separately undergoing a criminal trial related to the case, appeared as a witness in Kwak's trial that day. In response to the prosecutor's question, "Why did you use three recording devices?" he said, "I was not familiar with the storage capacity of the recorders, so I purchased additional ones just in case the capacity was exceeded."

When asked by the prosecutor about the reason for recording, Jeong replied, "(Kim) said that if things went wrong, I could be held responsible for things I did not even do, so I recorded it." He also explained that he submitted the original recordings to the investigative authorities without any manipulation.

He testified that he was forced by Kim to give false answers to the investigative authorities, suggesting that the consortium involving Hwacheon Daeyu was handling matters it did not actually manage when it was selected as the preferred negotiator for the Daejang-dong project.

Furthermore, he testified, "I felt fear that I was the architect of the Daejang-dong project and that all sorts of situations arose because of me," adding, "I endured stress and physical difficulties, and because there were many high-ranking politicians and senior legal officials around Kim, I was afraid and thus recorded."

Regarding how he came to know Kim, he said, "(Lawyer Nam) contacted me around mid-2012 because he needed connections in Seongnam City, and I vaguely remember being introduced at that time."

The recordings made by accountant Jeong between 2019 and 2020 were submitted during the prosecution's investigation and are considered key evidence in the Daejang-dong case. The recordings reportedly include disputes between Jeong and Kim over shared expenses and promises to pay hundreds of millions of won from dividend profits to former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Planning Director Yoo Dong-gyu.

On the other hand, Kim and Lawyer Nam Wook, owner of Hwacheon Daeyu's subsidiary Cheonhwa-dongin No. 4, have pointed out the evidentiary validity by suggesting that the recording files may have been manipulated or that files different from the originals were submitted.

Mr. Kim Man-bae (left) and Attorney Nam Wook

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