Prosecution summons and questions Jeong Jin-sang, 'Lee Jae-myung's closest aide,' on 140 million won bribery charges (Comprehensive)

On the 15th, Jeong Jin-sang, the Political Coordination Office Chief of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is accused of accepting bribes from the Daejang-dong group, appeared privately at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where reporters were waiting at the entrance. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Jeong Jin-sang, the Political Coordination Officer of the Party Representative’s Office, who is called the 'closest aide' to Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was summoned to the prosecution on the morning of the 15th as a suspect and is being investigated.

The Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office (Chief Prosecutor Eom Hee-jun) summoned Jeong this morning to question him on charges of bribery and other allegations.

Jeong appeared at the prosecution avoiding the press waiting in the lobby of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office building in Seocho-gu, Seoul. It was reported that Jeong’s lawyer requested a non-public summons when appearing at the prosecution the day before.

Jeong is accused of receiving a total of 140 million KRW in money and goods under various pretexts of solicitation from the so-called 'Daejang-dong group,' including Yoo Dong-gyu, former Planning Director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, while working as Policy Secretary of Seongnam City and Director of Policy Office of Gyeonggi Province from 2013 to 2020. He is also charged with promising to share 24.5% (after tax 42.8 billion KRW) of common stock shares with Kim Man-bae as a reward for providing preferential treatment in the Daejang-dong project (bribery after wrongful act), and violating the Anti-Corruption Act by leaking confidential internal information to private contractors in the Wirye New Town development project, enabling them to gain huge profits. He is also accused of instructing Yoo to throw his mobile phone out the window when a prosecution raid was imminent on September 29 last year (obstruction of evidence).

Jeong denies all these charges. His lawyer reportedly stated during the investigation that they will actively present their position and refute many of the groundless allegations.

The prosecution is expected to request an arrest warrant after investigating Jeong. They have also collected materials necessary for detention in advance. They secured CCTV footage and parking lot vehicle entry records for the past two months from the apartment management office where Jeong resides to verify his actual residence. It is also reported that the prosecution detected signs of the operating system being reinstalled on Jeong’s PC obtained from the Democratic Party leader’s secretariat in the National Assembly main building. The prosecution may argue that there is a risk of evidence destruction based on this.

If Jeong is detained, it is anticipated that the prosecution will intensify their focus on Lee Jae-myung. The prosecution believes that Lee was behind all of Jeong’s illegal actions. During today’s investigation, they plan to ask intensively not only about Jeong’s various charges but also whether Lee was involved in the process or was aware afterward.

Jeong is regarded as Lee’s 'right-hand man,' having formed a connection in the mid-1990s when Lee was working as a lawyer in the Seongnam area, and closely assisting him in various elections as well as in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, and the Democratic Party. When the prosecution searched Jeong’s residence and other locations, the warrant mentioned Lee’s name 102 times, emphasizing the close relationship between Jeong and Lee, who have maintained a close relationship for over 20 years, as a 'political community.'

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