Yoon must be investigated too: DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung makes a statement in returning to his trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul on Friday., [YONHAP]

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung's has claimed that the investigation of him was biased.

Returning to court on Friday afternoon, he said that the prosecutors have dropped the investigation of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s alleged lies during the last presidential campaign while conducting a massive investigation against him.

“They ignored the allegation against Yoon Suk Yeol that he said he didn’t know Kim Man-bae without any investigation while they indicted Lee Jae-myung for commenting that he did not know Kim Moon-ki,” Lee said. “I think the court will reveal this unfairness.”

During the presidential campaign, Lee argued that Yoon knew Kim Man-bae, who was arrested for playing a key role in the Daejang-dong development scandal.

In 2019, Yoon’s sister sold a house owned by Yoon’s father to Kim.

Yoon has denied knowing the former journalist personally and has said that the transaction was legal.

On Friday the DP chairman appeared at the Seoul Central District Court to attend his first trial.

Lee is being tried for violating the election law. The prosecutors’ office has accused Lee of lying twice.

During the presidential campaign, Lee said he did not know Kim Moon-ki, an official at Seongnam Development Corporation, who was investigated for playing a critical role in the Daejang-dong development profiteering scandal.

Lee argued that while Kim worked for a development company owned by the city he was mayor of, he didn’t know each and every lower-level employee.

However, several pictures that were taken during a business trip that both Lee and Kim took in Australia when Lee was Seongnam’s mayor show the two men posing next to each other. The two also rode on the same golf cart.

Kim, who used to work at a construction company, was reportedly introduced to Lee in 2009 through Yoo Dong-kyu, a key figure in the Daejang-dong scandal and a proxy CEO of the Seongnam Development Corporation.

Kim was also a panelist at a remodeling regulation seminar organized by a research institute that Lee was co-head of.

Kim committed suicide in December 2021 when the investigation into the Daejang-dong case started.

The DP leader is also accused of lying that he was pressured by the Park Geun-hye government to ease regulations on another apartment complex development in Seongnam.

The area, which used to be the headquarters of the Korea Food Research Institute, was a green zone that limited development.

Lee as Seongnam mayor significantly eased the regulation that allowed Pangyo The Sharp First Park to be built.

However, the apartment complex development was pushed by a private developer, who used to work on Lee’s mayoral election campaign.

An unprecedented 50-meter tall and 300-meter wide wall on the back of the apartment complex raised questions on the legitimacy of the development.

Lee had argued that the Land Ministry had pressured him that he would be charged with breach of duty if he did not ease the development restrictions.

The Land Ministry denied such allegations and stressed that they have no authority to do so.

If Lee is fined 1 million won ($764) or more, he could lose his seat in the National Assembly and the DP could have to repay the National Election Commission 43.4 billion won of election expenses that it covered.

When appearing at the court early in the morning, the DP chairman refused to make any statement and appeared alone, a stark contrast to his visits to the office of the prosecutors since the beginning of this year.

During his visits to the prosecutors, Lee was surrounded by DP representatives. He gave statements to the press.

Lee is also set to appear in court on March 17 and March 31.

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