Lee: "Yoon Prosecutor's Dictatorial Regime, the Worst Site of State Power Privatization"
"We Will Stand Firm and Fight Against the Dictatorial Regime's Oppression and Win"
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, appeared before the prosecution 1 year and 4 months after the investigation into the Daejang-dong related allegations began.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1 (Chief Prosecutor Eom Hee-jun) and Division 3 (Chief Prosecutor Kang Baek-shin) summoned Lee on the 28th on charges including breach of trust in the course of business and violation of the Anti-Corruption Act, and are currently investigating him.
Before appearing at the prosecution on the day, Lee said, "People of the nation, please remember this scene today. This place today is where the Yoon Seok-yeol prosecutor dictatorship regime triumphed over the rule of law and destroyed the constitutional order," adding, "It is the worst scene where the Yoon Seok-yeol prosecutor dictatorship regime privatized state power."
He also said, "If you are close to those in power, even existing crimes are pardoned, and if you oppose those in power, judicial murder is not hesitated," adding, "No matter how deep and long the winter is, it cannot hide the spring, and no matter how strong the power is, it cannot defeat the people. My position on the Daejang-dong and Wirye projects is fully contained in the written statement I will submit to the prosecution. I will soon disclose it to the people as well."
He continued, "You will be able to fully understand how absurd the prosecution's claims are and what the objective truth is," and said, "I believe in the power of truth and reality. I will not avoid the given mission and will fight bravely against the ruthless oppression of the Yoon Seok-yeol prosecutor dictatorship regime and win."
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is making a statement as he appears at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 28th to undergo investigation related to the Daejang-dong development preferential treatment allegations. Lee is accused of leaking internal secrets of Seongnam City or Seongnam Urban Development Corporation to private developers as the final decision-maker of the Wirye and Daejang-dong development projects during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam, enabling them to gain enormous profits. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
When asked questions such as "What do you think about private developers in Daejang-dong giving statements unfavorable to you?" Lee did not answer and went up to the 6th-floor interrogation room.
Lee is accused of allowing private developers to gain enormous profits related to the Wirye and Daejang-dong development projects while serving as mayor of Seongnam.
The prosecution plans to focus on questioning Lee about allegations that during the Daejang-dong project process, he caused astronomical profits to private developers such as Kim Man-bae and caused losses to Seongnam City, as well as allegations of leaking internal information to private developers during the selection process of developers for the Wirye New Town development project (breach of trust and violation of the former Anti-Corruption Act).
The prosecution believes that Lee provided special favors to private developers and gained unfair profits of 788.6 billion KRW from the Daejang-dong project and 21.1 billion KRW from the Wirye New Town project.
Ultimately, the key point of this investigation will be whether the prosecution can prove that Lee, knowing that the Daejang-dong project would result in huge profits for private developers and losses for Seongnam City, approved the project to proceed favorably for them, and that he was informed by his closest aide, Jeong Jin-sang, former chief of political coordination at the party leader’s office, about receiving 42.8 billion KRW from the profits allocated to Cheonhwa-dongin No. 1.
Since the Wirye and Daejang-dong projects have been ongoing for about 10 years, the prosecution is known to have prepared a questionnaire exceeding 100 pages of A4 paper. Lee is reported to have prepared a written statement of about 30 pages refuting the charges applied to him by the prosecution.
Given the vastness of the allegations, the prosecution intends to summon Lee for another round of questioning after this investigation, but Lee is said to find it difficult to respond due to the heavy workload of party affairs. Since Lee is unlikely to agree to a late-night investigation, the questioning on this day is expected to conclude before midnight, including the time for reviewing the interrogation records.
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