Prosecutors investigating involvement of Lee Jae-myung in land development scandal

Oct 15, 2021, 09:35 am

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Lee Jung-soo, the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, answers questions from lawmakers at the National Assembly’s Legislative and Judiciary Committee audit on the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office and Suwon High Prosecutors’ Office on Oct. 14, 2021./ Source: National Assembly Press Corps

AsiaToday reporter Kim Hyun-goo

Lee Jung-soo, the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office revealed Thursday that the prosecution is investigating the possible involvement of Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung in the snowballing Daejang-dong land development scandal, and that they were preparing to carry out search and seizure operations on Seongnam City.

During a national audit by the National Assembly’s Legislative and Judiciary Committee on the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office and Suwon High Prosecutors’ Office, lawmaker Jeon Ju-hye of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) pointed out that “the most important thing to find the truth of the Daejang-dong case is whether the exclusion of the excess return clause was briefed to by-then Seongnam mayor Lee Jae-myung and whether there were any related instructions or acquiescence.” In response, Lee Jung-soo said that everything was within the scope of the investigation.

When Jeon stressed the need for an immediate search and seizure, the chief of the district prosecutors’ office said he would do so. Lee also said it is necessary to carry out search and seizure of Seongnam City. However, he did not elaborate, saying, “It is not appropriate to reveal the plan whether to investigate a specific person.”

During the national audit, the opposition bloc urged Lee Jung-soo to investigate Gyeonggi Gov. Lee and Seongnam City while rebuking the prosecution investigation team’s willingness to investigate as it failed to secure a mobile phone of Yoo Dong-gyu, former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp..

Regarding the issue of political neutrality surrounding him and the investigation team, Lee said, “There ma be friendly relations, but it does not mean that we cannot keep private and public life separate as South Korean officials.” Lee is justice minister Park Beom-kye’s junior in high school and the investigation team is consisted of many pro-liberal prosecutors, raising controversy.

Prosecutor Kim Tae-hoon, who is leading the investigation team in charge of the Daejang-dong case, expressed his willingness to investigate. “I am conducting an investigation taking my responsibility very seriously for a case that caused public outrage and raised many questions,” Kim said. “The investigation team is doing their best for the case and we are planning to do our best to find out the truth,” he added.

Meanwhile, a Seoul court on Thursday upheld a disciplinary measure that the justice ministry took against former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl for alleged misconduct last year. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled that the two-month suspension should be retained.

#prosecution #Daejang-dong #Lee Jae-myung #investigation