Yoo Dong-gyu: "I am willing to confess after cleaning up... Lee Jae-myung must overcome his victim mentality"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Planning Director Yoo Dong-gyu said, "At the time, Lee Jae-myung's name was an unspoken rule, a taboo," and added, "(The Daejang-dong project) is not something that can be done personally. How could it have proceeded so smoothly?"

Former Director Yoo made these remarks on the morning of the 31st after finishing his first trial with former Democratic Party Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-sang at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 23 (Presiding Judge Jo Byung-gu).

Yoo Dong-gyu, former Planning Director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, who is accused of bribing Jeong Jin-sang, former Chief of Political Coordination Office in the office of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is answering reporters' questions after the first pretrial hearing of Jeong was held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 31st.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

He targeted Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, saying, "Selling Lee Jae-myung's name to private contractors in this matter is practically..." and "(I) was probably someone who should not have been next to Representative Lee at that time." He also emphasized, "There was absolutely no instruction from Seongnam City to review or reconsider anything in that massive project."

Regarding Lee's claim that he did not know Cheonhwa-dongin No. 1, a subsidiary of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, Yoo said, "Soon it will be exposed, and he will say something different; these things are repeating," and added, "I want to clear my name cleanly and approach this with a mindset of surrender. I do not blame or resent anyone."

Furthermore, he criticized, "Instead of struggling to escape based on facts, the minimum duty is to resolve all suspicions," and said, "'That person' (Lee) seems to think he is being attacked, but he should get out of that victim mentality and speak according to his own will."

Regarding the statement by lawyer Jeong Min-yong during the previous day's trial on breach of trust charges against the Daejang-dong group, that "In February 2021, Kim Yong, former deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute, met with former Director Yoo at the Yuwon Holdings office and took something," Yoo claimed, "I remember it was 70 million won. Kim Yong came to receive money," and added, "Details will come out through the trial."