Lee Jae-myung, July 2016 Monthly Meeting: "Complaints from Business Operators Are Devils with the Face of an Angel"

Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province and presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea

[Asia Economy=Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The Daejang-dong public-private joint development project, which Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate and former mayor of Seongnam, promoted, is shaking the entire nation.

Although the 'commissioned accusation scandal' related to Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party candidate, also carries significant weight, all agendas are being overshadowed by the Daejang-dong issue, which concerns real estate and ordinary citizens.

The opposition People Power Party is pressing its advantage, claiming that Lee Jae-myung, as the mayor of Seongnam at the time, was responsible for planning all the projects, and that illegal acts by former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Planning Director Yoo Dong-gyu (currently detained) have been revealed, maintaining a relentless offensive.

In particular, they have announced a 'full-scale Daejang-dong offensive' targeting Lee at the upcoming Gyeonggi Province national audit scheduled for the 18th and 20th.

On the other hand, the ruling Democratic Party counters that the People Power Party opposed the Daejang-dong public development, causing the current problems, and that, judging from the corruption revealed so far, People Power Party figures such as former lawmaker Kwak Sang-do are more deeply involved.

The core of the current Daejang-dong controversy is Lee Jae-myung, the ruling party's presidential candidate. Did Lee really have direct or indirect involvement in the Daejang-dong project as the opposition claims?

There is one clue to speculate on this. It is a speech Lee made at a monthly meeting for Seongnam city officials on July 5, 2016, when he was mayor of Seongnam. His remarks at that time have recently overlapped with the Daejang-dong incident and are gaining renewed attention. Below are the main points of Lee's speech at that time.

■ "Report any complaints from relatives or close associates without exception"

Recently, such incidents have been gradually occurring. I once wrote about this on the opinion collection board (operated by Seongnam City Hall). I told them to report anyone who appears claiming to be my close associate or relative. Whether at frontline (Seongnam City Hall) departments or through any form of contact, if someone shows up saying, 'I am the mayor's sister,' 'I am the mayor's brother,' 'I am the mayor's brother-in-law,' 'I am the mayor's close associate,' or 'I am from the mayor's alma mater,' I told them to report all such people. Those who try to profit by exploiting the mayor's relatives or close associates are the ones killing the mayor, not saving him. From now on, please make sure to report them. That is the way to save the mayor. If you care about me, my close associates or relatives will never do such things. If it is confirmed that you entertain requests or have contact under the names of relatives or close associates without reporting to me, disciplinary action will be taken. I used to say this verbally, but from now on, I will take action. Do not even contact them, and if you must, report to the secretariat first. I will definitely enforce this.

■ "Do you know why I have a bad relationship with some family members?"

As you know, I have a poor relationship with some family members because I cut ties sharply. I believe that is the way to protect them. If you open that door, more and more businesspeople will cling, saying, 'Oh, sister,' 'Oh, brother,' and so on, manipulating things until eventually they do strange things without even realizing what they have done.

■ "Companies that unfairly influence public officials cannot do business in Seongnam"

If anyone tries to give you transportation expenses, please return it with a clean heart. If you do not report and just return it, that person will continue doing the same elsewhere. I have set a principle: if you request personnel favors, you will be penalized. These days, it hardly happens. The second rule is that companies that lobby will be penalized. I have actually confiscated such cases. Previously, when it was found that someone gave something to a Seongnam city official or their associates, I investigated all the projects that person was involved in and confiscated them all. I completely eliminated them. They will no longer be allowed to do business in Seongnam. Even projects already decided were canceled. If they want to sue, let them. If anyone attempts to lobby and unfairly influence public officials, regardless of the outcome, those companies will be banned from doing business in Seongnam. Even ongoing projects will be penalized. They will not be allowed to attempt lobbying at all. That is how you (public officials) stay safe. Especially regarding permits and construction. If it is discovered that someone tried to lobby public officials, the related companies will be banned from working in Seongnam as long as I am here. They will be completely banned. I will send an all-points bulletin to local governments nationwide. These people are dangerous. Be careful. Their business will fail.

■ "Complaints from businesspeople are devils with angel faces"

Whether it is permits or budget execution, if related businesspeople buy meals, play golf, give pocket money, gifts, or New Year's presents to lobby, and you do not report it, I will strictly punish you. I have repeatedly said this: such people are devils. Devils with angel faces. Usually, they flatter you like brothers or close friends, making you feel comfortable. These people do not start big. First, they invite you for tea. Second, a meal. Third, a drink. Fourth, they give you a gift certificate worth 100,000 won, then 200,000 won, then 300,000 won, play golf, and later 500,000 won, 1,000,000 won. The problem is that businesspeople record all this in their ledgers.

Money is the devil. There is no free lunch in this world. Who said it was money given out of goodwill? If they were not in that position, would they give money out of goodwill? Why would they give money where there is no benefit? Are they angels? Are they philanthropists? Even angels do not do such things. Have you ever seen an angel giving money for free? There is no such thing.

Now, it has evolved so that businesspeople write everything down in diaries as bribes. They even gather additional evidence. I mentioned that they keep cash bands. These bands are traced back to banks and to whom they were given. They track through whom and where the money was given. Nowadays, you can track a person's movements for six months by identifying their phone usage. How? By checking location data from phone usage, you get several points. Real-time location is confirmed, whether calls, texts, or data usage. Then, you check nearby CCTV footage. The area is all recorded on CCTV. You can verify the person's movements on actual video: where they went, whom they met, what they did and when.

Nowadays, the term 'investigative inquiry' has disappeared. CCTV records everything. Seongnam City has over 3,000 CCTV cameras, maybe more. You cannot hide anything. So businesspeople keep all this information. They classify it for transactions: when to send which person, for what purpose. It is devilish. They write everything down and keep evidence. Do you think two people hiding something can fool others? Absolutely not. People who commit and hide crimes are amateurs. They do it a few times in their lives, alone. But those who uncover these crimes do it professionally, with organizations, huge budgets, advanced equipment, and technology. Individuals cannot hide anything. It is impossible. Everything will be exposed in broad daylight. Yet some people still do not know this. Businesspeople come, flatter, give pocket money, and some still think, 'Oh, 1 million won is okay,' or accept 700,000 won, 300,000 won, 500,000 won. Such people still exist.

■ "Public officials suffer the most when involved with businesspeople"

Prosecutors and police have a fixed investigation pattern. They investigate businesses near government offices one by one when bored. They list businesses related to government offices and decide which to investigate. Then, they find one and investigate its accounting. In Korea, most companies are legally corporations but practically personal companies. So, money is moved in and out frequently, like during Chuseok or when buying stocks. Sometimes money is borrowed and not repaid. Each withdrawal is embezzlement. Even if repaid, it only restores the original state. It is like stealing and returning money.

When accumulated, the amount reaches billions of won. Most companies reveal this after 5-7 years of investigation. Then, arrest warrants are issued. That is when 'deals' begin. Catching corporate corruption is not very meaningful. Catching public officials scores highest in personnel evaluations. The higher the rank caught, the better. So, deals are made: someone is called in and charges reduced, another called in and charges reduced. This has been the investigation practice for decades.

When police and prosecutors search businesspeople, they find ledgers recording when, where, and how much was given. As public officials, you have authority. Authority means having discretion to act in various ways. Therefore, people affected by your decisions will approach you with flattery. The bigger the benefit, the stronger their lobbying. Higher rank is not always good. As rank and authority increase, so do responsibility and risk. Especially risk: the risk of ruining your life, losing your public official pension. Prevent these risks in advance.

■ "Give up even small authorities"

All problems start small. They do not start big but from small things. The mindset about authority must be eliminated from your heart. You must build a mindset of complete abstinence: no tolerance for any level of wrongdoing, whether 1 or 100. Even 0.1 is unacceptable. This is for your life. Many people ruin their lives unknowingly. When caught, they regret, 'I shouldn't have done that.' But regret is useless after the fact. From now on, stop completely. You can live without accepting meals or pocket money from businesspeople. If you want to play golf, use practice ranges or video golf. Do you ruin your life for a few won? Truly, especially as Seongnam city officials, you harm not only yourselves but others around you. It is not just you; your surroundings suffer too.