Lee Jae-myung Faces Criminal Trial Over False Statements by the Late Kim Moon-ki and Baek Hyun-dong

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is answering questions from reporters as he moves to the party leader's office at the National Assembly on the 6th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyung-min, Kim Dae-hyun] Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was accused of making false statements during the 20th presidential election process, was brought to trial one day before the statute of limitations expired.

On the 8th, the Public Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Sang-hyun) indicted Lee without detention on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act. The statute of limitations for the case was set to expire on the night of the 9th.

Earlier, Lee was accused of publicly disseminating false information during an interview with a broadcasting company on December 22 last year, when he was the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. He claimed that Kim Moon-gi, the late Head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation and a key figure related to the Daejang-dong development project, was a subordinate employee whom he did not know during his tenure as mayor.

Kim, the former head, was a central figure in the Daejang-dong preferential development project allegations, in which Lee was suspected of involvement. Kim was found dead in the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation office while under investigation last December. Subsequently, the Citizens' Group for Judicial Exam Preparation filed a complaint against Lee the following day for false statement charges under the Public Official Election Act.

The investigation team sent investigators to the office of a team leader who was in charge of public relations during Lee’s tenure as mayor of Seongnam to collect materials. The prosecution reportedly conducted a search and seizure to verify the circumstances and truthfulness of Lee’s statements.

After reviewing Kim’s mobile phone, testimony from Yoo Dong-gyu, former Planning Director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, photos released by the bereaved family, voice recordings, and testimonies from related parties, the prosecution concluded that Lee knew Kim even during his time as mayor of Seongnam. It was determined that Lee deliberately lied to avoid suspicion related to the Daejang-dong case, which was the biggest issue during the presidential election.

Additionally, the prosecution judged that Lee’s statements regarding the 'Baekhyeon-dong preferential treatment allegations' were also false and indicted him on those charges as well. This case was investigated by the Criminal Division 3 of the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Yoo Min-jong).

On October 20 last year, during a National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee inspection of Gyeonggi Province, Lee said regarding the Baekhyeon-dong Korean Food Research Institute site land-use change preferential treatment allegations, "The Ministry of Land requested the land-use change, and under the Special Act on the Relocation of Public Institutions, we had no choice but to comply." He also stated, "Since Seongnam City could not accept the land-use change that would generate billions of won in profits, the city planned to secure some profits and attract office facilities, but the Ministry of Land threatened to accuse us of dereliction of duty."

The Baekhyeon-dong case began after the People Power Party filed a complaint, confirming through official documents that Seongnam City initially opposed the land-use change but suddenly reversed its position. The Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency, which conducted the first investigation, reported on the 26th of last month that Lee’s charges were valid and forwarded the case to the prosecution. The prosecution decided to indict based on the Board of Audit and Inspection’s audit results. The audit found that although there was a request for cooperation from the Ministry of Land, there was no coercion or threat.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and the Seongnam Branch jointly filed the two cases with the Seoul Central District Court. The prosecution sent a written inquiry to Lee on the 19th of last month to hear his explanation, but after receiving no response by the deadline on the 26th, they notified Lee on the 31st to appear at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on the 6th. Lee’s side protested, calling the sudden summons an 'opposition party suppression' while coordinating the submission of a written response, and on the 5th of this month, they sent a written statement to the prosecution without complying with the appearance request.

However, the prosecution either dismissed or returned to the police the records related to false statement charges under the Public Official Election Act concerning the Daejang-dong development project linked to Lee.

If Lee is sentenced to a fine exceeding 1 million won in the trial, he will lose his parliamentary seat according to the Public Official Election Act and the National Assembly Act. His eligibility to run for office will also be restricted for five years, blocking his path to the next presidential election. The Democratic Party will also have to return approximately 43.4 billion won in presidential election campaign funds reimbursed by the National Election Commission.

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