Prosecutors Search Lawyer Kim Yong's Office... Investigation into 'Organized Judicial Obstruction Allegations'

Prosecutors have launched a forced investigation after detecting evidence that the lawyer of former Kim Yong, former deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute (57), was involved in the perjury process related to the timing of Kim's receipt of illegal funds.

Kim Yong, former Vice President of the Democratic Research Institute [Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 24th, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 3 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kang Baeksin) conducted a search and seizure of the residence of lawyer Lee, who is suspected of instructing perjury and using forged evidence on behalf of former Kim. The Seoul Yeouido office of Park and Seo, who served as the situation room chiefs of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential election campaign committee, was also included in the search and seizure targets.

A prosecutor official explained, "It appears that lawyer Lee played a significant leading role in obstructing justice," adding, "The search and seizure were conducted to confirm the full details of the circumstances and accomplice relationships."

Previously, lawyer Lee was suspected of instructing Lee, former director of the Gyeonggi-do Market Promotion Agency (64), to testify a false alibi regarding the timing of receiving illegal presidential election funds during former Kim's trial on May 4. He is also suspected of submitting a forged old mobile phone calendar photo to support Lee's testimony at the trial held on the 11th of the same month.

Prosecutors suspect that lawyer Lee played a leading role in the crime by involving Park and Seo in this process. It is reported that lawyer Lee worked at the same law firm before Lee Jae-myung was elected mayor of Seongnam. He was also appointed as the secretary-general of the Korea Legal Aid Corporation under the Ministry of Justice during the Moon Jae-in administration in 2019.

On May 4, former director Lee appeared as a witness at former Kim's trial and testified, "On May 3, 2021, between 3 and 4 p.m., I met with former Kim at his office in the Suwon Convention Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, to discuss work."

This day was the specific time prosecutors identified when Kim allegedly received 100 million won in illegal presidential election funds from former Yoo Dong-gyu, former head of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, at the Yuwon Holdings office in Pangyo-dong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. However, former director Lee claimed that the mobile phone containing the calendar with the memo of the appointment with former Kim suddenly disappeared and refused to submit it even under the court's ex officio search warrant.

Prosecutors have been investigating the perjury charge, stating that former director Lee's claim directly contradicts the evidence secured so far. On the 17th, they also conducted a search and seizure of the residences of Seo and Park. Prosecutors plan to summon lawyer Lee and others to verify the facts once the analysis of the seized items is complete.

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