Prosecution Indicts Jeong Jin-sang, 'Lee Jae-myung's Closest Aide,' on Bribery Charges of Over 200 Million Won

Bribery Amount Increased Since Arrest
Four Charges Including Violation of Anti-Corruption Act

Jeong Jin-sang, former Chief of Political Coordination Office at the Democratic Party of Korea, is seen closing his eyes tightly while responding to reporters' questions as he attends the pre-trial detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu on the 18th of last month.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The prosecution has indicted Jeong Jinsang, former Political Coordination Officer of the party leader’s office and a close aide to Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 9th.

On the afternoon of the same day, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Eom Hee-jun) announced that Jeong was arrested and indicted on charges including violation of the Anti-Corruption Act, bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, acceptance of bribes after improper conduct, and obstruction of evidence.

In this regard, Yoo Dong-gyu, former head of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation (Seongnam Dogae Gong), was additionally indicted without detention on charges including bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and obstruction of evidence.

Jeong is accused of using confidential information related to Seongnam City and Seongnam Dogae Gong from 2013 to 2018 in his official capacity to have the Daejang-dong group selected as the developer for the Wirye New Town development project, and enabling Hoban Construction, which carried out the construction, to obtain development profits of approximately 21 billion KRW. He is also charged with receiving a total of 240 million KRW in seven installments from former head Yoo as a bribe for facilitating various project promotions from 2013 to 2020.

He was also indicted on charges of promising to share 70 billion KRW (after tax 42.8 billion KRW), which accounts for 24.5% of the common stock shares of private developer Kim Man-bae in Daejang-dong, as a reward for preferential treatment in project selection, along with Kim Yong, deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute, and former head Yoo, in February last year.

Jeong is also accused of instructing former head Yoo to throw his mobile phone out the window to destroy evidence when the prosecution’s search and seizure was imminent on September 29 last year (obstruction of evidence). Yoo actually threw the mobile phone containing related evidence out of the window.

Jeong’s trial is expected to be significantly influenced by the trials of former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Planning Director Yoo Dong-gyu, lawyer Nam Wook, and Kim Man-bae. Furthermore, the prosecution’s investigation is expected to focus directly on Lee Jae-myung. When the prosecution requested an arrest warrant for Jeong from the court on the 16th of last month, they described in detail the long-standing relationship with Lee and referred to the two as a “political community.”