Yoo Dong-gyu: "Telegram 'Jeongmubang' is an inner circle... about 10 people in total"

Former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Director Yoo Dong-gyu is leaving the building after the continuation trial related to the Daejang-dong development project lobbying and preferential treatment allegations held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 24th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Yoo Dong-gyu, former Planning Director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation and a key figure in the Daejang-dong scandal, stated on the 27th that there were "several members in the inner circle" in the Telegram 'Political Affairs Room,' which is known to have been accessed by himself, Jeong Jin-sang, Political Coordination Officer of the Democratic Party Representative Office, and Kim Yong, Deputy Director of the Democratic Research Institute.

Yoo, speaking to reporters near his home on the same day, explained, "Besides what has been reported in the media, there were also meetings of heads of affiliated organizations, a separate Political Affairs Room, and a separate legal team." When asked about the number of people in each chat room, he replied, "Not many. It's the inner circle. About 10 people in total."

He added, "I opened all the phone clouds and even submitted the passwords to the prosecution. This is not something to be done by words but through investigation and trial," and claimed, "I don't know if they think all evidence has been deleted, but traces are not completely erased."

Regarding allegations that he pressured Hwang Mu-seong, former president of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation (2013?2015), to resign, he said, "Hwang Mu-seong himself has a lot to be held accountable for in criminal cases," adding, "He was sued for fraud but hid it from the company. It was bound to come out someday, and I think he has nothing to say."

When asked if he meant that the order to pressure former President Hwang to resign did not come from higher-ups, Yoo replied, "I don't think so."

Regarding the claim that a 'fake lawyer' tried to persuade him, he said, "A legal advisor from Gyeonggi Province came and said, 'I came from above.' A high-ranking person sent him down and said they were very worried, so I thought they came to care for me, but it was all for self-defense. I felt they were trying to monitor what I was saying." He added that the prosecution would investigate this persuasion attempt as well.

When asked if Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, knew about the deletion of the clause for recovering excess profits from the Daejang-dong development project, he retorted, "Didn't he boast about 'recovering' it himself? Is everything he said at the National Assembly audit a lie?"

Last October, at the National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee audit, Lee said, "It was not that the clause for recovering excess profits was deleted, but that a frontline staff proposal to add it was not accepted." However, two days later, at the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee audit, he stated that the discussion was conducted among working-level officials and that he was not informed at the time, implying he was unaware.

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