Prosecutors seek arrest of key Daejang-dong figure

Kim Man-seok, former journalist and key figure to the Daejang-dong development scheme, enters the court in Seocho-dong, Seoul handling the case on Feb. 10. [YONHAP]

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Tuesday is seeking an arrest warrant against Kim Man-bae, a former journalist and key figure in the controversial Daejang-dong land development scheme in which Democratic Party Chair Lee Jae-myung is implicated.

The prosecutors’ office accuses Kim of trying to destroy or hide evidence regarding ill begotten profits.

Kim allegedly tried to hide 34 billion won ($26.7 million) from the Daejang-dong development project in a vault in an officetel under someone else’s name between October 2021 and November 2022.

In September 2021, Kim asked a close friend to destroy his mobile phone suspected of containing evidence related to Daejang-dong.

Kim is also suspected of trying to hide 14.2 billion won through another friend in December 2022 after the court ordered profits from Daejang-dong seized.

The detention request was made just three months after Kim was released from prison. The former journalist was detained for a year after he was indicted in November 2021.

Kim initially spent six months in detention, the maximum length of time an indicted suspect can be detained, but prosecutors asked for and successfully obtained another six months.

In November 2022, however, the court refused to re-extend his detention, citing a lack of evidence.

Kim has been accused of being at the heart of the Daejang-dong development scheme in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, where he and a few associates pocketed huge profits with little investment.

DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung was the mayor of Seongnam city at the time.

Lee is accused of using money from the city-approved project to create a slush fund for his presidential campaign from 2021 to 2022.

Lee has been summoned to the prosecutors’ office twice to answer questions regarding Daejang-dong, while two of his key aides are currently detained.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]