[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The deputy chief prosecutor who was leading the investigation into allegations that companies gave bribes under the guise of sponsorship money to Seongnam FC during Lee Jae-myung's tenure as mayor of Seongnam has suddenly resigned, sparking widespread controversy over the background of his resignation.
According to the legal community on the 26th, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Park Ha-young of the Seongnam Branch Office resigned the day before the prosecution personnel reshuffle. Park posted on the prosecution's internal network 'Eprose' stating, "I tried to find other ways to continue working, but after much thought and attempts to respond, there was no other way." He also attached a file of himself singing Deulgukhwa's 'If I Live'.
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Park led the investigation into the sponsorship money allegations involving Seongnam FC. The case concerns claims that during Lee's time as mayor of Seongnam, six companies provided over 16 billion won to Seongnam FC as sponsorship money in exchange for permits in Jeongja-dong, Seongnam. The police investigated the case for three years and three months and decided not to forward it to the prosecution last September due to insufficient evidence, but the accuser objected and the case was sent to the prosecution.
At that time, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Park expressed the need for supplementary police investigations, but it is known that higher-ups, including Park Eun-jung, head of the Seongnam Branch Office, discouraged this and pushed for the case to be closed, causing conflict and controversy. Park Eun-jung is known as a 'pro-government figure,' having led inspections during the time when Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, was disciplined by the Ministry of Justice while serving as Prosecutor General.
The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch issued a statement the day before denying these allegations of conflict. The branch emphasized, "Regarding the Seongnam FC case, the Seongnam Branch is reviewing the investigation records of both the branch and the police in accordance with law and principles," and stated, "It is not true that there was an order to close the investigation or that requests for supplementary investigations were blocked."
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