Overlap of Charges with Kim Man-bae, Whose Warrant Was Previously Rejected
Yoo Dong-gyu's Detention Review Hearing at Court at 2 PM
Namwook, a key figure in the 'Daejang-dong Development Project Favoritism and Lobbying' allegations who was staying in the United States, returned to Korea on the morning of the 18th through Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 and was arrested by prosecution investigators as he left the airport. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] The prosecution's Daejang-dong investigation, which had become complicated after the court dismissed the arrest warrant for Hwacheon Daeyu major shareholder Kim Man-bae, has found a breakthrough with the securing of the custody of Nam Wook, one of the 'core four' suspects in this case.
Attorney Nam was involved throughout the project, handling various government liaison tasks for permits and organizing land shares within the Daejang-dong team. Since he has indicated his intention to actively cooperate with the investigation by shifting responsibility to Kim and other partners, the prosecution's investigation is expected to accelerate.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office special investigation team, which is probing the 'Daejang-dong development project preferential treatment and lobbying' allegations, plans to request an arrest warrant for Attorney Nam, the owner of Cheonhwa Dongin No. 4, a subsidiary of Hwacheon Daeyu, on the 19th.
The day before, the prosecution arrested Attorney Nam upon his arrival from the United States at Incheon Airport and transferred him to the prosecution for intensive questioning.
The prosecution applied charges under the Specific Economic Crimes Act for breach of trust, alleging that Attorney Nam conspired with Kim to promise bribes to former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Planning Director Yoo Dong-gyu (detained) and caused losses to the corporation to maximize the profits of private developers in Daejang-dong.
The prosecution suspects that the 3.5 billion KRW that flowed from Cheonhwa Dongin No. 4 to Yoo Won Holdings, known to be the real owner of former Director Yoo, may be part of the 70 billion KRW Kim promised to Yoo.
Additionally, the prosecution believes that Attorney Nam was involved in the process through his university junior, Attorney Jeong Min-yong, whom he recommended to the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation. This process allegedly included excluding the clause for recovering excess profits and restricting bids from construction companies while the corporation conspired with private developers.
After securing Attorney Nam's custody, the prosecution is expected to reapply for an arrest warrant for Kim based on the investigation details of Attorney Nam.
At 2 p.m. that day, a detention review hearing for former Director Yoo will be held at the Seoul Central District Court. Yoo's detention period was originally set to expire on the 20th, and the prosecution was expected to indict him before then, but the detention review is likely to delay the indictment by about two days. The period during which the investigation records are sent to the court for the detention review is not counted toward the prosecution's detention period.
Meanwhile, at the National Assembly Judiciary Committee's audit of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office held the previous day, opposition lawmakers criticized the prosecution for conducting a delayed search of Seongnam City Hall but excluding the mayor's office from the search targets. Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo responded, "I was aware of the search of Seongnam City Hall but did not know the mayor's office was excluded," adding, "If necessary, we will conduct the search anytime."
The prosecution conducted an additional search of the Seongnam City Hall server with a previously issued warrant the day before, securing emails exchanged among employees. Since approval documents related to project permits are usually kept in the relevant departments, the investigation team judged that a search of the mayor's office, the personal workspace of the current mayor, was unnecessary.
There are also signs of discord in the cooperation between the prosecution and the police. Prosecutor General Kim stated the day before that he had communicated with the National Police Agency Commissioner and that a hotline had been established between the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief and the Gyeonggi Southern Police Agency Chief. However, on the same day, Police Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong expressed frontline dissatisfaction regarding forced investigations such as search warrant requests during a press conference and urged the prosecution for active cooperation.
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