Seongnam, Suwon, and Other Gyeonggi Province Local Governments Suffer Consecutive 'Search and Seizure' Raids

[Asia Economy (Seongnam) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Local governments in Gyeonggi Province are suffering from raids due to various suspicions.

On the 2nd, starting at 9:10 a.m., the Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi conducted raids targeting five departments including the Policy Planning Division and Urban Planning Division of Seongnam City Hall.

The police explained that the raids were carried out for additional investigations following the prosecution's request for supplementary investigation regarding the Seongnam FC suspicions.

The core of the Seongnam FC suspicions is that Lee Jae-myung, former Democratic Party presidential candidate and former mayor of Seongnam, as the owner of Seongnam FC, secured sponsorship funds of about 16 billion won from companies such as Doosan and Naver between 2014 and 2016, and these companies received conveniences such as building permits and land use changes.

The police decided not to prosecute last September due to insufficient evidence. However, additional investigations are underway as the accuser filed an objection.

Earlier, on the 26th of last month at around 9:50 a.m., the Violent Crime Investigation Unit of the Southern Gyeonggi Police Agency deployed about 10 investigators to conduct raids on four departments including the Urban Planning Division of Suwon City Hall.

Through the raids lasting about five and a half hours, the police secured lists of urban committee members, meeting minutes, and review materials.

It is reported that the police received a tip that some urban committee members accepted bribes during the 2015 process of land use changes in the district unit plan in Suwon area.

The police plan to summon suspects once the analysis of seized items is completed.

Meanwhile, urban committee members are regarded as public officials, so if the suspicion of receiving money or valuables is proven true, they will be subject to charges of bribery.

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