Raids on Land Ministry, CJ Group in DP bigwig corruption case

Lee Jung-geun, former deputy secretary general of the liberal Democratic Party, heads to a warrant hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul on Sept. 30. [YONHAP]

Prosecutors raided the Land Ministry and a CJ Group affiliate as part of a probe into corruption allegations against a former Democratic Party official and the chief of staff to former President Moon Jae-in.

Prosecutors from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office searched Wednesday the office of Korea Integrated Freight Terminal Co. and residences of company officials, as well as the Land Ministry to seize documents and emails, officials said.

The prosecution is investigating allegations that the freight terminal operator hired Lee Jung-geun, a former deputy secretary general of the liberal Democratic Party (DP), as a full-time advisor from 2020 to 2021 at the request of Noh Young-min, who served as Moon's chief of staff from 2019-20.

The Land Ministry recommended Lee for the position at CJ, but prosecutors suspect that Noh was the one who ensured Lee’s name was the one put forward by the ministry.

Lee’s salary during her year at the freight terminal operator was approximately 100 million won ($75,400).

While former or retired officials from the Land Ministry have previously been recruited by the freight terminal operator as advisers, Lee was the first career politician, as opposed to a bureaucrat, to be employed in the role.

Prosecutors suspect that Lee, despite having no experience working in transport, was able to get the position due to Noh’s intervention.

An source at the prosecution service who spoke to the JoongAng Ilbo on condition of anonymity said that Lee met Noh shortly after being recommended for the advisor position, and sent him a message that read, “It’s all thanks to you” after their meeting.

Lee has already been arrested and indicted on charges that she accepted bribes worth nearly 1 billion won ($739,600) from a businessman in return for business favors from 2019 to 2021.

Lee is also suspected of taking a total of 330 million won in illegal campaign donations from the businessman while parliamentary elections were under way in 2020.

She served on Moon’s election campaign when he ran for president in 2017 as well as the election campaign of Lee Jae-myung when he ran for president in March.

Although Lee Jung-geun has denied all the charges, it is unclear if prosecutors’ investigation of her will extend to Noh.

Noh was mentioned by name in Lee’s indictment, particularly in sections detailing how Lee allegedly flaunted her connections to Noh to attract bribes and illegal campaign donations.

Although the raids on Thursday did not directly target Noh, sources in the prosecution said the scope of the investigation could expand to him if evidence emerges that he was aware of Lee’s allegedly illegal activities.

If Noh is also targeted by prosecutors, he would join the ranks of several former high-ranking officials who are being investigated for alleged wrongdoings that took place during Moon’s term in office.

Former Defense Minister Suh Wook and former Coast Guard Commissioner General Kim Hong-hee were arrested by prosecutors in late October over their alleged mishandling of the death of a South Korean fisheries official killed by North Korean soldiers in September 2020.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]