Former Chief Secretary Lee Jae-myung's Death Inevitably Affects Investigation and Trial

Jeon Mo, who served as the first chief secretary during Lee Jae-myung's tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province and is affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea, was found dead on the 9th, which is expected to have a significant impact on investigations and trials related to Lee.

On the morning of the 10th, reporters were covering the scene in front of the residence in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, where Jeon, the first chief secretary during Lee Jae-myung's tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province and the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was found dead.

According to the Seongnam Sujeong Police Station, at around 6:45 PM on the 9th, Jeon, the former chief secretary to the governor of Gyeonggi Province, was found dead at his home by his wife, who reported it.

The police are investigating the case, considering the circumstances and evidence at the scene, and currently believe that Jeon took his own life. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the legal community on the 10th, the Criminal Division 3 of the Seongnam Branch of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Yoo Min-jong) summoned Jeon on December 26 last year for questioning on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery) related to the Seongnam FC sponsorship fund allegations.

The Seongnam FC sponsorship fund allegations involve claims that during Lee’s tenure as mayor of Seongnam, as the club owner of Seongnam FC, he secured sponsorship funds totaling over 17 billion KRW from companies between 2016 and 2018 and provided these companies with conveniences such as building permits and land use changes.

Jeon was implicated in the 4 billion KRW sponsorship payment from Naver and was named as an accomplice in the arrest warrant request for Lee. The prosecution judged that Jeon acted as a messenger or negotiation channel for Lee. During the investigation, the prosecution questioned Jeon based on evidence including Naver documents recording the negotiation process between Naver and Seongnam City regarding the sponsorship payments, and all interrogations were reportedly video recorded.

If Lee is prosecuted and tried for the Seongnam FC sponsorship fund allegations, the prosecution was likely to call Jeon, who was both an accomplice and an important witness, to testify in court, but this has now become difficult.

The investigation into the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case is also expected to be affected. Jeon recently gained attention as the person who visited the late mother’s funeral of former Ssangbangwool Chairman Kim Sung-tae on behalf of Lee.

The Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance allegations involve claims that Kim sent 8 million USD to North Korea on behalf of Gyeonggi Province in 2019.

Kim claimed that 5 million USD of the remittance, under the name of supporting North Korea’s smart farm project, was paid on behalf of Lee Hwa-young, former Deputy Governor for Peace of Gyeonggi Province, asserting a connection with Gyeonggi Province during Lee Jae-myung’s governorship. He also stated that he had spoken with Lee. Both Lee and the former deputy governor have denied these claims.

Since Jeon visited Kim’s mother’s funeral on Lee’s behalf, he likely had detailed knowledge of the relationship between the two. The Criminal Division 6 of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-nam), which is investigating the North Korea remittance case, has not questioned Jeon.

At a trial held on January 31 at Suwon District Court regarding the bribery and political funds law violations by former Deputy Governor Lee Hwa-young, a former Ssangbangwool chief secretary testified that "In May 2019, the Gyeonggi Province governor’s chief secretary (Jeon) came to pay respects at Chairman Kim Sung-tae’s mother’s funeral," but Jeon had not yet been summoned to verify this testimony. With Jeon’s death, it is now impossible to confirm this information. Furthermore, the Seongnam FC sponsorship fund case involving Jeon is expected to be closed due to lack of prosecution.

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