Special Investigation Unit Begins Probe into 12 Democratic Party Lawmakers Over Suspected Illegal Real Estate Transactions

Case Assigned to City and Provincial Police Agencies the Previous Day

Song Father of Ki Sung-yong Sent for Violations of the Farmland Act
Ki Sung-yong Not Prosecuted

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The government joint special investigation headquarters (Special Investigation Headquarters, SIH), which is investigating allegations of real estate speculation, has launched a full-scale investigation into the 'illegal real estate transactions' allegations involving 12 Democratic Party lawmakers.

A SIH official told reporters on the 11th, "We reviewed the data received from the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and, considering the residences and locations of the land, allocated the cases to each city and provincial police agency yesterday."

As the SIH has begun a full-scale internal investigation into the Democratic Party lawmakers implicated in the allegations, the number of lawmakers (including family members) under investigation has increased to 23. Among them, six overlap with lawmakers who were already under investigation by the SIH. This includes lawmakers such as Yang Yi-won-young and Kim Han-jung, who had already been decided not to be prosecuted by the SIH. This indicates a divergence in judgment between the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and the SIH. A SIH official stated, "We plan to re-examine the cases previously confirmed from scratch."

Earlier on the 8th, the Democratic Party disclosed the list of 12 lawmakers suspected of illegal real estate transactions based on the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's full investigation results. The lawmakers are ▲ Kim Ju-young, Kim Hoe-jae, Moon Jin-seok, Yoon Mi-hyang (suspected of real estate name trust) ▲ Kim Han-jung, Seo Young-seok, Im Jong-sung (suspected of using confidential information related to official duties) ▲ Yang Yi-won-young, Oh Young-hoon, Yoon Jae-gap, Kim Soo-heung, Woo Sang-ho (suspected of violating the Farmland Act). The Democratic Party urged the district lawmakers to voluntarily leave the party and expelled the proportional representation lawmakers. Regarding this, a SIH official explained, "The new allegations involve real estate name trusts and violations of the Farmland Act, which seem to have been identified during the full investigation by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission."

Meanwhile, on the same day, the SIH decided to refer Ki Young-ok, former Gwangju FC director and father of soccer player Ki Sung-yueng (32), to the prosecution on charges of violating the Farmland Act and forgery and use of private documents. Ki Young-ok is suspected of purchasing about ten parcels of land, including rice paddies and fields in a park area in Geumho-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, between 2015 and 2016, despite having no intention to farm. Regarding Ki Sung-yueng, the SIH decided not to prosecute, concluding that he had delegated the land purchase and related matters to his father.