[Seocho-dong Legal Talk] "Money Was Exchanged," Yudonggyu Voluntarily Speaks... Effect of Detention?

Former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Director Yoo Dong-gyu is attending the continued trial related to lobbying and preferential treatment allegations in the Daejang-dong development project at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 24th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] "Let's just smoke one cigarette."

In the early 2000s, a high-ranking official in the political and business circles was under investigation by the prosecution for a slush fund case. A warrant was issued by the court, and he was even detained. Rarely speaking, one day in the prosecution's interrogation room, he asked the investigator for permission to smoke a cigarette. Then, he continuously exhaled smoke and fell into deep thought. The investigator waited patiently. After a while, he spoke. "Actually, that is..."

According to prosecution officials, there are quite a few cases where suspects confess after being detained. A prosecutor I met once said, "When people are isolated from daily life and live in the confined spaces of detention centers or prisons, many of them have enough time to organize their thoughts and change their stance." Most of them reflect on "why things have come to this point" and organize what they need to do going forward before confessing during prosecution investigations. This can be considered an 'effect' that the prosecution gains when suspects are detained.

Yoo Dong-gyu, former Planning Director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, who has been exposing the 'reality of black money' day after day since his release, says something similar. In an interview with a broadcasting company, he said, "After going to the detention center and meditating for a year, I realized many things," adding, "I thought I was chasing after something futile." He also said he felt "betrayed" due to a series of events that happened outside while he was in prison. According to former Director Yoo, those accused alongside him sent a 'fake lawyer' to the prison to monitor him. When they were together, they called each other "brothers" and were close, but once separated, he saw their "true colors." These were scenes he could not have witnessed if he had not been detained. Perhaps because of this, former Director Yoo unusually revealed on his own that "money was exchanged," even though the prosecution did not ask.

Because of this, some in the legal community cautiously suggest that "in some cases, detention for the greater good is necessary." In a democratic country that guarantees 'freedom of the body' under the constitution, detaining a person must be lawful and decided with great care. However, for large-scale cases carried out systematically, if necessary to uncover the truth of the case, detention should be decided for the greater good regardless of concerns about evidence destruction or flight risk.

Detention can sometimes be a decision that saves lives, making it even more important. This argument arises especially after key figures related to Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, have made extreme choices one after another. Concerns were also raised about former Director Yoo's release. Previously, in connection with the 'Daejang-dong scandal,' the late Yoo Han-gi, former Head of Development Business at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, and the late Kim Moon-gi, former Head of Development Business Division 1 at the same corporation, took their own lives. None of them had been detained. Lee Byung-chul, who exposed the 'lawyer fee payment suspicion' and was investigated by the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, also passed away. The police ruled his death as natural causes.

It is uncertain what might happen while former Director Yoo remains out of detention. Although there have been precedents of extreme attempts during detention, his recent appearances at trials suggest that his mental and physical state is quite stable. He himself said he feels "relieved." However, due to concerns about possible external factors, the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency decided the day before yesterday to protect the safety of A, who is in a de facto marital relationship with former Director Yoo.

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