Rival parties clash over Daejang-dong case

Jan 12, 2022, 08:47 am

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People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers are holding placards calling for special prosecution at the National Assembly on Jan. 11, 2021./ Source: Joint Press

AsiaToday reporter Jeong Geum-min

Rival parties clashed over the remarks made by Kim Man-bae, the largest shareholder of asset management company Hwacheon Daeyu. The ruling Democratic Party (DP) made an all-out effort to stop the controversy from spreading, while the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) called for special prosecution, claiming that DP presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung was at the ‘center’ of the lucrative land development project in Daejang-dong.

According to the legal community on Tuesday, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Settlement Section 22 held the first court hearing on the Daejang-dong development scandal on Monday. Five key figures attended the hearing, including Kim Man-bae, former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp. Yoo Dong-gyu, lawyer Nam Wook, accountant Jeong Young-hak, and lawyer Jung Min-yong. During the hearing, Kim’s lawyer said, “We followed the policy ordered by by-then Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung for a stable business.”

In response, the Democratic Party (DP) said, “It was not Lee’s private instructions, but an official policy of Seongnam City.” The ruling party also said that some media reports were biased and that they would file a complaint to the Media Arbitration Committee if they do not correct their biased reports.

Kwon Hyuk-ki, head of the public affairs department of the DP’s election committee, said, “Some media did not reflect our objection while selecting the keyword ‘Lee Jae-myung’ as the headline. We believe our objections were not fully reported, making a huge impact on the election.”

Regarding the Daejang-dong case, Lee said, “I feel like I’m being witch-hunted politically. They are trying to distort things with trivial things.”

On the other hand, the main opposition party called for the introduction of special prosecution to uncover the truth about the Daejang-dong project, saying that Lee is at the center of the Daejang-dong land development scandal.

“This is a vivid testimony in court that the main criminal of the Daejang-dong case was Lee Jae-myung, and that Lee’s instructions were given,” said PPP floor leader Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon. “The Daejang-dong special prosecution act must be approved.”

#Democratic Party #People Power Party #Daejang-dong