Yoo Dong-gyu: "Lee Jae-myung also spoke with the late Kim Moon-gi when he was Seongnam mayor candidate"

Yoo Dong-gyu, former Planning Director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, is appearing as a witness at the trial for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, held on the 31st at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was testified to have had a close relationship with the late Kim Moon-gi, head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, including direct phone calls during his candidacy for Seongnam mayor.

On the 31st, at the 3rd trial session of Lee’s public official election law violation case held at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 34 (Presiding Judge Kang Gyu-tae), Yoo Dong-gyu, former Planning Director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, appeared as a witness and testified about the relationship between Lee and Kim.

The prosecution mentioned a briefing session on the remodeling of the new town in Bundang, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, in March 2010, saying, "The defendant (Lee Jae-myung), who was a candidate for Seongnam mayor at the time, also attended the briefing session, and Kim Moon-gi also attended, didn’t he?" Yoo, the former director, replied, "I understand both of them attended."

Yoo said, "I heard from Kim Moon-gi that he had a separate phone call with Lee Jae-myung," adding, "I was very busy as the event organizer, so I don’t know if they talked separately at the briefing session."

When the prosecution asked, "Under what circumstances did you hear that Kim said he had a separate phone call with defendant Lee Jae-myung?" Yoo explained, "When someone asked who would come to the event, I said Lee Jae-myung would come, and then (Kim) said he also had a phone call with me." He added, "They seemed to know each other somewhat since they met at the seminar."

Yoo also stated that in August 2009, Kim and Lee attended a seminar hosted by the Seongnam Policy Research Institute, where he was co-representative. When the prosecution asked, "During the seminar, did defendant Lee Jae-myung, Kim Moon-gi, and the witness introduce themselves, exchange opinions, and discuss?" he answered, "Of course."

When asked by the prosecution, "Did defendant Lee Jae-myung act as if he remembered Kim Moon-gi, who became a corporation employee?" Yoo replied, "I think he recognized him. They did the seminar together and were not strangers."

Lee faces charges of violating the Public Official Election Act for allegedly making false statements by claiming in a broadcast interview in December 2021, when he was a presidential candidate, that he did not know Kim Moon-gi during his tenure as mayor.