Prosecutors Re-summon Kim Man-bae After Three Days

Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, is being summoned again on the morning of the 24th to appear at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] On the 24th, the prosecution summoned Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, for questioning again. It is also reported that lawyer Nam Wook is scheduled to be summoned on the same day.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office's dedicated investigation team called Kim in the morning, and the investigation is currently underway. This is the first summons since the trial of former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation director Yoo Dong-gyu, three days after the investigation on the 21st.

Kim told reporters on the day, "I will explain in detail once inside and will cooperate sincerely with the investigation." He did not respond to reporters' questions.

This summons is expected to be an additional investigation to decide whether to reapply for an arrest warrant for Kim, focusing on the details of bribery delivery and preferential treatment. The prosecution believes that Kim, along with former director Yoo, designed the project so that a large sum of money would go to private businesses, causing the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation to suffer losses worth several hundred billion won, and in return, agreed to pay 70 billion won to former director Yoo.

Previously, the prosecution applied for an arrest warrant against Kim on charges including bribery, but on the 14th, the court dismissed the warrant, stating, "While there is a significant need to guarantee the suspect's right to defense, it is difficult to see that the necessity of detention has been sufficiently demonstrated."

After the warrant dismissal, on the 20th, the investigation team conducted confrontation investigations by summoning Kim, lawyer Nam, former director Yoo, accountant Jung Young-hak, and others involved in the so-called Daejang-dong scandal. The prosecution plans to conduct supplementary investigations on Kim and reapply for an arrest warrant soon.