[Seocho-dong Legal Talk] Cautious Lawyers "Cutting Off Contact and Living Quietly"

Cold Winds Blow Over Seocho-dong Amid Successive Allegations
Suspicions of Complaint-Leak and Daejang-dong Development Privileges
Rumors of Associates of Related Figures 'Cutting Ties'
Many Voices Call for "Thorough Investigation of Allegations"
Attention Focused on the Central District Prosecutors' Office Handling the Investigation
Speculation That "Even Presidential Candidates May Not Be Able to Go"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] During the Chuseok holiday filled with greeting texts and phone calls, Lawyer A could not contact an acquaintance indirectly involved in the ‘Daejang-dong Development Favoritism’ suspicion. This was due to concerns about possible unforeseen incidents if contact was made. Lawyer A said, "It is better for both sides to refrain from contact for now. It cannot be helped."

Recently, Seocho-dong has become bleak due to various suspicions sweeping through the political world. As the ‘Prosecution Report Favoritism’ suspicion involving former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol and the ‘Daejang-dong Development Favoritism’ suspicion involving Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung surfaced one after another, legal professionals have been extremely cautious.

Since early this month when the ‘Prosecution Report Favoritism’ suspicion was raised, stories have circulated in the legal community that Kim Woong, a key figure and member of the People Power Party, and Son Joon-sung, Human Rights Protection Officer at Daegu High Prosecutors’ Office, were ‘cut off’ by their close associates. The ‘Daejang-dong Development Favoritism’ suspicion has even greater repercussions. It has been revealed that former Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soon-il, former Suwon District Prosecutor General Kang Chan-woo, Lawyer Nam Wook, and Lawyer Lee Kyung-jae were involved as legal advisors to Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, an asset management company (AMC) that earned enormous profits from the Daejang-dong development project in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, spreading the atmosphere of a ‘major gate’ scandal.

There are many voices within the legal community calling for a thorough investigation of the suspicions. Naturally, all eyes are on the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. The Central Prosecutors’ Office has recently begun directly investigating the Daejang-dong development favoritism suspicion along with cases involving former Prosecutor General Yoon’s close associates. The case filed by Governor Lee’s side against Kim Ki-hyun, floor leader of the People Power Party, for violations of the Public Official Election Act and other charges has been assigned to the Public Investigation Division 2 (Chief Prosecutor Kim Kyung-geun). The investigation team is known to be focusing on verifying the facts surrounding the overall suspicions related to Hwacheon Daeyu for the time being.

The High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Division (Gongsoocheo) is also considering whether to investigate the Daejang-dong suspicion. On the 26th, it received a complaint related to the case from a civic group. The Citizens’ Action for Judicial Justice (Sasehaeng) filed a complaint accusing Representative Kwak Sang-do of the People Power Party of bribery, alleging that his son worked at Hwacheon Daeyu and received 5 billion won as severance pay. Since many high-profile figures are involved in this suspicion, there is a strong demand for Gongsoocheo to take action.

However, in Seocho-dong, the prevailing view is that the investigative efforts into the two suspicions?Prosecution Report Favoritism and Daejang-dong Development Favoritism?will not reach the candidates competing ahead of the presidential election. This is because there is no concrete evidence that former Prosecutor General Yoon or Governor Lee directly influenced these suspicions. Mere suspicion and speculation have shown almost no impact on the support rates of the two candidates in recent opinion polls.