Deceased Former Secretary to Lee Jae-myung, What Exactly Happened That Day?

A Peaceful Daily Life Calm Enough to Talk About Aging Nearby
Emotional Turmoil Intensifies as Name Circulates in the Media

Jeon Mo, 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 reported on the 10th to have been psychologically quite overwhelmed after his name was mentioned in the media. It appears that his extreme choice the previous day reflected this mental state.

On the 9th at around 6:45 p.m., Jeon was found dead at his home in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province. The police, seeing no signs of homicide and finding a suicide note at the scene, believe he took his own life. They are considering an autopsy to clarify the exact cause of death, which requires the consent of his family.

Jeon served as the first chief secretary when Lee was governor of Gyeonggi Province. After Lee was first elected mayor of Seongnam in 2010, Jeon was appointed chief secretary of Seongnam City in 2013, closely assisting Lee. Subsequently, from 2014 to 2017, he held positions including director of the Green City Project Office, mayor of Sujeong District Office, director of administrative planning, and director of administrative planning coordination (deputy director level).

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

In December last year, Jeon was investigated by prosecutors as a suspect in the Seongnam FC sponsorship fund scandal. Prosecutors reportedly applied charges including bribery against Jeon along with Lee as suspects in the case. According to Lee’s arrest warrant, Jeon, along with Jeong Jin-sang, former chief of political coordination in the Democratic Party leader’s office, demanded 6 billion won in sponsorship funds for Seongnam FC from Naver.

It is said that during the police investigation of the Seongnam FC sponsorship fund scandal, Jeon was not under suspicion and was never questioned by the police. A police official involved in the investigation stated, "He was not an important figure, so Jeon was not summoned for questioning."

In September last year, when prosecutors expanded their investigation by raiding Naver headquarters and other locations after taking over the case from the police, Jeon was serving as the head of the Management Planning Headquarters at Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation (GH) and acting president. Although he somewhat anticipated being questioned by prosecutors, he reportedly had no psychological issues and even explained his retirement plans to those around him.

The prosecution also stated that there was no coercive investigation against Jeon. During a single interrogation in December last year, Jeon was questioned alone without legal counsel. The prosecution said there were no further investigations or summons afterward.

However, it is reported that Jeon suffered severe stress this year as his name repeatedly appeared in the media. On January 31, Jeon’s name was mentioned during a trial at Suwon District Court concerning Lee Hwa-young, former deputy governor of Gyeonggi Province, who faced charges of bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and violations of the Political Funds Act.

At that time, A, former chief secretary of Ssangbangwool, who appeared as a witness, testified, "In May 2019, the chief secretary to the governor of Gyeonggi Province came to offer condolences at the funeral of Chairman Kim Seong-tae’s mother." This was reported in the media under headlines such as "Lee Jae-myung’s close aide attended as proxy at Kim Seong-tae’s mother’s funeral."

Meanwhile, Lee attended an on-site supreme council meeting held at the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on the same day and claimed, "(Jeon) was very distressed by the prosecution’s pressuring investigation." He added, "Why would people targeted by the prosecution’s special investigation unit keep making extreme choices? They fabricate evidence out of nothing and keep pressing charges, leaving no way out, so they make extreme choices out of frustration and injustice."