"See Who Remains After Lee Jae-myung's Mistakes"
The spouse of the late Kim Moon-gi, former Head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, reportedly found some "comfort" following the first trial verdict of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.
On the 19th, Yoo Dong-gyu, former head of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, appeared on the Maeil Shinmun YouTube channel's "Lee Dong-jae's News Cabinet" and claimed, "I often contact the spouse of the late Kim. After the verdict on the 15th, I spoke with them on the phone, and they said it was 'somewhat comforting.'"
Yoo, who was acquainted with Lee, then mayor of Seongnam during the Bundang District Daejang-dong development project, and Kim, said that Kim’s spouse has been working at a snack bar to make a living after her husband's passing. He added, "It is very painful when the head of the household suddenly disappears overnight."
During a business trip to New Zealand in 2015, Lee Jae-myung, then mayor of Seongnam and current leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and the late Kim Moon-gi, head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation. Provided by Kim Eun-hye, member of the People Power Party.
He continued, "Kim Moon-gi cherished his family deeply. Especially when it came to talking about his daughter and son, he would tremble. Since he suddenly disappeared, the shock his family experienced is beyond words."
Earlier, on the 15th, in the trial for Lee on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, the first trial court sentenced Lee to one year in prison with a two-year suspended sentence. A photo of Lee, Kim, and Yoo playing golf together was used as evidence to judge false statements.
The photo was taken while they were playing golf during a business trip to Australia and New Zealand. Previously, the People Power Party used the photo as evidence to claim "they knew each other." In response, Lee, during a 2021 broadcast as a presidential candidate, denied this by stating, "Some group photos were cut out and manipulated."
The court explained, "Voters are likely to interpret Lee’s statement as meaning 'he did not play golf overseas with Kim Moon-gi.' Kim was the key person responsible for the Daejang-dong project and had been under investigation. Considering that there was sufficient opportunity and time to recall the facts, intentionality is recognized."
Former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Director Yoo Dong-gyu is attending the continuation of the first trial related to lobbying and preferential treatment allegations in the Daejang-dong development project at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu on the morning of September 4. Photo by Yonhap News
Kim’s bereaved family also appeared as witnesses in the trial. The family testified, "When Lee was mayor of Seongnam, the two had a relationship that could not have been unknown to each other." The deceased’s son said, "My father’s funeral was on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2021, and on that day, Lee, who was a presidential candidate, wore a Santa Claus costume and danced," adding, "My grandmother saw this on TV and broke down in tears."
On the broadcast that day, Yoo criticized, "Let’s see how many people remain after Lee Jae-myung falls. These are sycophants who only stay around while power is maintained and are the first to leave when power ends."
He added, "Lee believes that power cannot be strong without people who flatter him. That is why he appoints people like Representative Choi Min-hee as committee chair and uses Representative Kim Min-seok as a top member of the Democratic Party?because of their loyalty and usefulness."
Meanwhile, Kim was found dead on December 21, 2021, in his personal office at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation in Bundang District, Seongnam. At the time, he was under investigation by prosecutors regarding allegations of preferential treatment in the Daejang-dong development project. In February of the following year, the Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi Province received the autopsy results from the National Forensic Service and reported that "there was no evidence of third-party involvement," closing the case as an internal investigation.
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