DP leader Lee Jae-myung attends first trial on his corruption, bribery cases

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, walking with a cane, enters the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District in southern Seoul on Friday. [YONHAP]

Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung appeared at the Seoul Central District Court on Friday for the trial related to the development scandals in Daejang-dong, Wirye and the sponsorship of Seongnam FC, owned by the city.

Lee, walking with a cane, arrived at the court in Seocho District at 10:25 a.m. but entered the building without speaking to reporters.

This is his second ongoing court case in which he is a defendant, as he faces charges of breach of duty, bribery, and concealment of criminal proceeds.

The first trial was originally scheduled for Sept. 15, but it was postponed because Lee went on a hunger strike before prosecutors filed for his arrest warrant.

His lawyers requested another postponement, citing his health problems after his hunger strike that ended when the court denied his arrest.

The Daejang-dong development scandal came to light in August 2021, during Lee's bid to become the DP's presidential candidate.

The controversy dates back to 2015 when Lee was Seongnam's mayor.

Lee is accused of causing losses to the Seongnam city government by engineering the development project to benefit private developers, collaborating with former journalist Kim Man-bae, who led the project.

Due to spikes in housing prices during the Moon Jae-in administration, the developers made a profit exceeding 700 billion won, far beyond their expectations.

Wirye, whose development began in 2013, is considered a trial version of the larger Daejang-dong development project.

Lee, as Seongnam mayor at the time, and key players in the Daejang-dong project, including Yoo Dong-gyu, then-acting CEO of Seongnam-owned development company, and private developer and lawyer Nam Wook, were involved in the Wirye project.

Lee is accused of authorizing the development project and the profit scheme and taking a significant portion of the profit from the development projects.

The Seongnam FC scandal also occurred during Lee's time as mayor, in which he is accused of taking bribes in the form of sponsorship for the team from major companies like Doosan and Naver, totaling 18.3 billion won, in exchange for construction permits for their headquarters in Seongnam.

This sponsorship was a one-time event, and there have been no additional sponsorships of similar size since.

Lee's appearance at the court on Friday is his first public appearance since leaving the Seoul Detention Center on Sept. 27, where he awaited the decision on his arrest warrant.

The court denied the prosecutors' request, citing Lee's status as a public figure and the head of a political party, emphasizing the importance of granting him the right to defend himself.

This decision sparked controversy, as the judge who denied the arrest warrant had acknowledged past witness tampering allegations in a trial where Lee was acquitted.

He also acknowledged the strong possibility of DP officials attempting to tamper with witnesses.

This is Lee's second ongoing trial as a defendant, with another trial on election law violation charges ongoing since March.

Lee is accused of making false statements during the presidential campaign by denying knowing Kim Moon-ki, a Seongnam city employee who played a key role in the Daejang-dong development project.

However, it later emerged that Kim had gone on an 11-day trip to Australia in 2015, during which he reportedly played golf and went fishing with Lee, as claimed by witness Yoo Dong-gyu. Kim took his own life while under investigation for the development project.

The trial, previously suspended due to Lee's hunger strike, is scheduled to resume on Oct. 13.

Lee may have to make an additional court appearance as prosecutors are working to indict him for his involvement in the Baekhyeon-dong development project and the illegal transfer of funds to North Korea through Ssangbangwool.

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