"Blame Moon"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu, directly criticized Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who appeared for a prosecution summons investigation on the 10th, saying he is "being hit by the boomerang of the Moon Jae-in administration's purge of deep-rooted evils."
On the 10th, Mayor Hong said through social networking services (SNS), "The resentment should be directed at former President Moon Jae-in," expressing this view.
On the same day, Lee appeared to undergo an investigation regarding the overall allegations of sponsorship funds for Seongnam FC. The main issue is whether the 'third-party bribery charge' can be applied.
Mayor Hong explained, "The third-party bribery charge is a crime that was also applied in former President Park Geun-hye's K-Sports and Mir Foundation cases, and it is a crime type already confirmed as precedent by the Supreme Court," adding, "In the past, this type of case was not much of an issue, but it gained attention following former President Park's case, significantly reducing the administrative discretion of enforcement agencies."
In the past, Mayor Hong was also investigated for fundraising activities supporting Gyeongnam FC during his tenure as Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do. Kim Eui-gyeom, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, demanded last month, "If the same standards apply, start by punishing Mayor Hong." However, Mayor Hong emphasized that unlike a mayor, a governor is not an enforcement agency, so there is a difference between the two cases.
He said, "The issue in this case involving Lee during his time as Seongnam Mayor is whether the fundraising for Seongnam FC was done using the approval authority, which belongs to the enforcement agency mayor, as bait. It is surprisingly not a complicated case and can be resolved simply by investigating the approval documents," adding, "Since my time as Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do, I have understood this legal principle, and unlike a mayor, a governor is not an enforcement agency but a supporting agency, so there is no administrative means to provide a quid pro quo, allowing me to avoid judicial sanctions."
He further added, "While there is a positive aspect in the strict application of the rule of law, Lee is currently being hit by the so-called boomerang of the Moon Jae-in administration's purge of deep-rooted evils."
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