Prosecutors Investigate Close Aides Before Summoning Park Young-soo, Special Prosecutor of Daejang-dong '50 Billion Club'

‘Daejangdong Sales Agency Operator’ Relative of Former Special Prosecutor Park Summoned for Investigation

The prosecution investigating former special prosecutor Park Young-soo's alleged involvement in the Daejang-dong '50 Billion Club' is conducting supplementary investigations by summoning his close associates one after another before calling Park in for questioning.

The Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Eom Hee-jun) summoned Lee Mo, a relative of former special prosecutor Park and a sales agent for Daejang-dong, and Cho Woo-hyung, suspected to be the actual owner of Cheonhwa-dongin No. 6, an affiliate of Hwacheon Daeyu, a private company involved in the Daejang-dong project, as witnesses on the 16th and is currently investigating them.

The prosecution is reportedly verifying with Lee the process through which requests were exchanged between former special prosecutor Park and the private developers of Daejang-dong, as well as the circumstances under which the payment method of the 5 billion KRW was discussed.

Former special prosecutor Park is suspected of having exerted influence as the chairman of the outside board of directors of Woori Financial Group in 2014, when developer Kim Man-bae and others were preparing to bid for the Daejang-dong development project, to prevent competing consortia from joining and thereby assisting in the formation of the consortium.

Before summoning former special prosecutor Park, the investigation team summoned Yang Jae-sik, known as Park’s closest aide and former special prosecutor assistant, on the 12th of this month for questioning as a suspect under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, including bribery. Additionally, former vice president Kim Jong-won, identified as a key figure related to the issuance of the letter of intent for credit by Woori Bank last month and former CEO of Woori Credit Information, and former CEO of Woori Card Yoo Gu-hyun, who worked as head of the real estate finance business division at Woori Bank at the vice president level in 2014 while Park was chairman of the outside board of directors, were summoned as witnesses and questioned.

Former special prosecutor Park served as an advisor to Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management from July 2015 to November 2016, receiving 255 million KRW in salary, and his daughter borrowed 1.1 billion KRW from Hwacheon Daeyu. The prosecution suspects that this money may be part of the promised 5 billion KRW.

Park’s daughter is also suspected of having gained approximately 800 million KRW in capital gains by purchasing an apartment in Daejang-dong owned by Hwacheon Daeyu in June 2021.

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