'Seongnam City Development Corporation Ordinance Passed' Kim Man-bae, Who Solicited, Sentenced to 2 Years and 6 Months in Prison... First Guilty Verdict in Daejang-dong Case

Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, who was indicted on charges of bribing and soliciting the then chairman of the Seongnam City Council in connection with the Daejang-dong development project, was sentenced to imprisonment in the first trial.

The Criminal Division 11 of Suwon District Court (Chief Judge Shin Jin-woo) sentenced Kim to 2 years and 6 months in prison on the 14th for bribery and other charges. However, the court did not detain Kim in custody, citing that there was little concern for evidence tampering and that he had sincerely participated in the trial. Former Seongnam City Council Chairman Choi Yoon-gil, who was indicted for receiving bribes after passing the ordinance to establish the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation through improper means at Kim’s solicitation, was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison.

Major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, Kim Man-bae [Photo by Yonhap News]

The court stated, "Choi Yoon-gil, upon receiving a request to pass the ordinance for the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, incited or directed protests by Daejang-dong residents and led the efforts behind the scenes," adding, "When the profits from Daejang-dong materialized, he received a promised performance bonus worth about 4 billion KRW from Hwacheon Daeyu or actually received about 80 million KRW." The court further explained, "The urban development project, which should have been conducted fairly, was colluded with private interests," and "This seriously damages the public’s trust in fairness and transparency, making the culpability severe," as the reason for sentencing.

During the trial, both Kim and former Chairman Choi denied all charges, but the court did not accept their claims based on the credibility of the testimonies of developer Nam Wook and accountant Jung Young-hak in court. The court said, "Despite opposition from the Saenuri Party at the time, Choi Yoon-gil left the party after being elected as chairman of the city council and ensured the passage of the ordinance for the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, which the Saenuri Party opposed," adding, "His sudden political attitude change, including serving as a co-campaign committee chairman for then Seongnam mayoral candidate Lee Jae-myung after his term as council chairman ended, supports the fact that he received a solicitation." The court also judged that the promised performance bonus of 4 billion KRW was a reward for passing the ordinance.

Meanwhile, this is the first time Kim has been found guilty in multiple trials related to the Daejang-dong corruption allegations. Previously, Kim was indicted on charges of giving 5 billion KRW (2.5 billion KRW after taxes, etc.) to former National Assembly member Kwak Sang-do as severance pay and performance bonus for his son, but was acquitted in the first trial in February last year. That case is currently under appeal by the prosecution in the second trial.

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