Police Conduct 8-Hour Search of Doosan Construction and Seongnam FC Over 'Seongnam FC Sponsorship Fund Suspicion'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] Regarding the 'Seongnam FC Sponsorship Fund Allegation' involving Lee Jae-myung, Senior Advisor of the Democratic Party of Korea, the police conducted a search and seizure on Doosan Construction and Seongnam FC.

The Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi sent investigators to the headquarters of Doosan Construction and the Seongnam FC club office from 10 a.m. on the 17th, conducting an 8-hour search and seizure to secure investigation materials.

This search and seizure was carried out in response to the prosecution's request for supplementary investigation and is the second forced investigation following the search and seizure at Seongnam City Hall on the 2nd.

Among the six companies that provided sponsorship funds to Seongnam FC, Naver, Nonghyup, Bundang CHA Hospital, Alphadom City, and Hyundai Department Store, excluding Doosan Construction, were not included in the search and seizure targets. It is reported that Doosan Construction was the only company named in the prosecution's supplementary investigation request.

In 2015, when 'chaebol preferential treatment allegations' were raised, Seongnam City held direct briefing sessions for civic groups and city council members, rebutting the claims by stating that the economic effect amounted to hundreds of billions of won and that it was a benefit for citizens, not preferential treatment for companies.

This case involves allegations that Lee Jae-myung, Senior Advisor of the Democratic Party of Korea, during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam, attracted about 16 billion won from companies such as Doosan and Naver as sponsorship funds for Seongnam FC and provided conveniences to these companies in return.

Meanwhile, the Bundang Police Station, which was assigned the case, decided 'no indictment' last September, stating there was no evidence of wrongdoing, but recently the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch requested supplementary investigation from the police.