DP boss's former aide arrested for allegedly taking bribes

Social Affairs

Published: 19 Oct. 2022, 18:29 Updated: 20 Oct. 2022, 17:48

DP boss's former aide arrested for allegedly taking bribes

Democratic Party (DP) Chairman Lee Jae-myung, left, and his aide Kim Yong, right, at a public event in 2019 [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A close aide to Democratic Party (DP) Chairman Lee Jae-myung was arrested Wednesday on allegations of receiving 800 million won ($561,000) in bribes from a private investor linked to the controversial Daejang-dong development project.

Seoul prosecutors said they’re trying to determine if the kickbacks were used to fund Lee’s failed presidential campaign.

Lee ultimately lost to Yoon Suk-yeol in the 2022 race, the tightest in Korean history.

After the defeat, Lee, a former mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi province, was chosen chairman of the liberal DP.

Seoul prosecutors told reporters Wednesday that 55-year-old Kim Yong, deputy head of a DP-affiliated think tank named the Institute for Democracy, was apprehended on charges of violating the Political Funds Act.

Prosecutors believe the money Kim received was used in Lee’s campaign because the transactions took place from April to August 2021, when the DP was holding its presidential primary.

At the time, Kim was deputy chief of the Lee campaign's general headquarters, overseeing finances.

Prosecutors from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said they raided Kim’s residence on Wednesday morning and planned to raid the DP headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, later that afternoon.

According to prosecutors, Kim received the bribes in cash on several occasions last year. They were allegedly handed to him by at least three people: a lawyer named Nam Wook; Jeong Min-yong, who at the time was head of the Seongnam Development Corporation’s strategic project office; and Yoo Dong-gyu, who was the company’s planning director.

Testimony from Yoo, who was indicted last month for bribery and breach of trust in the Wirye New Town development project, was said to have been key to Kim’s arrest.

In a text message sent to local reporters on Wednesday, Kim denied receiving bribes from Daejang-dong investors, saying that prosecutors were “making things up” to sabotage him.

Kim said prosecutors were “bringing the country back to the days of dictatorship,” adding he would use all means to correct the situation.

Lee has yet to comment on Kim’s arrest.

Kim is known to have been close to Lee ever since Lee was mayor of Seongnam, Gyeonggi from 2010 to 2018.

Fishy profit structures in at least two controversial land development projects, called Daejang-dong and Baekhyeon-dong, were troublesome issues for Lee ever since he announced his bid for the presidency, although Lee has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The prosecution’s probe into the shady projects picked up momentum after Yoon became president, prompting the DP to accuse the Yoon administration of taking “political revenge” on Lee to divert public attention from its own problems.

The DP blasted the prosecution and Yoon government on Wednesday, saying that the probes were politically motivated and “masterminded” by Yoon’s presidential office.

Prosecutors tried to raid the DP headquarters on Wednesday afternoon but were blocked by DP officials. The DP threatened to halt all parliamentary audit hearings.

BY KIM CHUL-WOONG, LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]