Namwook "Kwak Sang-do told Kim Man-bae to take out 300 million won and go serve prison time"

Former Lawmaker Kwak and Kim Man-bae's Side Deny Nam Wook's Claims
Closing Arguments Scheduled for the 30th

Former People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Sang-do (left) and lawyer Nam Wook attending the trial of the Daejang-dong development project lobbying and preferential treatment allegations case held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 28th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] Testimony in court revealed that former People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Sang-do directly demanded money from Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu.

On the afternoon of the 28th, Nam Wook, a lawyer and private developer of the Daejang-dong project, appeared as a witness in the bribery trial of former lawmaker Kwak and Kim at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 22 (Presiding Judge Lee Jun-cheol). He testified, "Former lawmaker Kwak told Kim, 'Just take the money out of the company and serve three years in prison, then come out.'" Both Kwak and Kim’s sides questioned the credibility of Nam’s testimony and actively denied the statements.

On the same day, the prosecution called Nam Wook as a witness again, citing newly discovered facts during the investigation of another case. The prosecution asked about the situation in the fall of 2018 when Kwak, Kim, Nam, and Jung Young-hak gathered for a meal and a dispute arose between Kwak and Kim.

The prosecutor said, "I will add questions regarding the credibility of the testimony," and asked, "Is it true that while being investigated for another case at the Central District Prosecutors’ Office video recording room, you testified that you remembered additional details related to a meeting involving defendants Kwak Sang-do and Kim Man-bae?" Nam replied, "Yes."

The prosecutor then asked, "Is it true that you personally made that statement? Was there any coercion or inducement?" Nam answered, "No."

When the prosecutor asked, "You said you recalled other parts of the meal with defendants Kwak Sang-do and Jung Young-hak," Nam said, "Yes. The reason for the fight was that when money was mentioned, Kwak said lightly, 'Just take it out of the company and serve three years in prison,' but suddenly Chairman Kim Man-bae got very angry, almost furious. Jung Young-hak and I sensed the tension, went outside, waited for 10 minutes, and then went home," adding, "This additional detail was included in the interview record."

When the prosecutor asked again, "Did defendant Kim Man-bae respond that it was difficult to take out the money, prompting such remarks?" Nam replied, "Yes. At that time, Chairman Kim said there was no money in the company, so defendant Kwak said, 'Just take it out of the company. Serve three years in prison and come back,' which made Chairman Kim very angry and caused a commotion. Jung Young-hak and I left the scene because of the disturbance," he answered.

However, when asked whether former lawmaker Kwak specifically demanded money with concrete reasons, Nam said, "I do not remember clearly, so I told the investigators that I did not remember."

Regarding the question of why Kim Man-bae had to give money to former lawmaker Kwak, Nam said, "As I mentioned, Chairman Kim said, 'The reason I have to give money to Kwak Sang-do is because of you, Nam Wook,' and I have never heard any other reason."

When asked if Kwak specifically demanded a certain amount of money from Kim Man-bae, Nam answered, "No, he did not."

On the day, both Kwak’s and Kim’s sides actively refuted Nam’s claims by calling each other as witnesses and cross-examining them.

Kwak’s lawyer asked Kim, "Have you ever heard Kwak Sang-do say, in the presence of Jung Young-hak and Nam Wook, 'Just take some money out of the company and serve time in prison'?" Kim replied, "No."

Kwak himself also answered "No" when asked the same question by Kim’s lawyer.

He further added, "Is this even a plausible statement?" and said, "It’s like a moth flying into a fire."

Kwak Sang-do appealed, saying, "I have been under investigation for five years since the Moon Jae-in administration started. In this situation, how could I possibly ask someone for money in private?"

On the day, Kwak also expressed dissatisfaction with the trial proceedings before the prosecutor’s examination of Nam Wook, saying, "Your Honor, as a defendant, I would like to raise an objection to this proceeding."

He said, "The prosecution has submitted all the evidence they have. Yet, they suddenly want to submit statements obtained from another investigation process as evidence. Why are you conducting such a harsh trial against me? If it is not allowed under the Criminal Procedure Act, I believe Your Honor should stop this. Why are you treating me so harshly?" raising his voice.

The court plans to conclude the arguments at the next hearing scheduled for the 30th.