Lee Jae-myung Under Prosecutor's Summons for 5 Hours... Lunch Taken Inside

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who appeared before the prosecution as a suspect in the 'Seongnam FC sponsorship fund allegations,' has been under investigation for five hours.

On the 10th at around 10:20 a.m., Lee arrived at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch, read a prepared written statement, and headed to the interrogation room. Lee said, "The summons investigation is a trap set by political prosecutors," adding, "I have no reason to avoid it and will face it confidently." He continued, "They are abusing warrants, investigation, and prosecution rights through fabricated investigations to eliminate political opponents," and said, "I will overcome the tyranny of the prosecution republic and the frozen politics. I will win against the political prosecutors."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is appearing on the 10th at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, to undergo investigation related to the 'Seongnam FC Sponsorship Fund Allegation' case. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Typically, when the prosecution summons a prominent figure for questioning, they hold a tea time with the investigation head as a courtesy, but it is known that the tea time with Lee was omitted this day. It is said that Lee's side declined the offer. Lee entered the interrogation room with lawyer Park Gyun-taek, a former Gwangju High Prosecutor, and the investigation was directly conducted by Yoo Min-jong, head of the Criminal Division 3 at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch. Lee reportedly ordered seolleongtang for lunch and ate inside. This atmosphere is quite different from November 2018, when he briefly left to have lunch after appearing at the Seongnam Branch for an investigation related to the 'forced hospitalization of his elder brother' allegations.

On this day, the prosecution is reportedly pressing Lee regarding allegations that from 2015 to 2017, companies such as Doosan Construction, Naver, and Cha Hospital paid about 17 billion KRW in sponsorship funds to Seongnam FC in exchange for various permits and approvals. The prosecution is meticulously investigating the circumstances under which Doosan Construction, Naver, and Cha Hospital each paid 5 billion KRW, 3.9 billion KRW, and 3.3 billion KRW in sponsorship funds, whether these were in return for illicit solicitations, and whether Lee was aware of or directly ordered these payments.

The prosecution plans to conclude Lee's investigation in as few sessions as possible, so the questioning is expected to continue late into the night.

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