Prosecution Requests Arrest Warrant for Democratic Party Leader Lee Jae-myeong
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office in Seocho-gu has filed a request for an arrest warrant for Lee Jae-myeong, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. Lee is suspected of engaging in preferential treatment for the Baekhyeon-dong Ssangbangwool Group’s development project and making payments to North Korea. The 142-page arrest warrant application, which was submitted to the National Assembly, provides detailed explanations for the prosecution’s request to arrest Lee.
Allegations Against Lee Jae-myeong
One of the allegations made by the prosecution is that Lee asked witnesses involved in the case to provide false testimony. Additionally, it is claimed that he abandoned the guaranteed 20 billion won profits that were supposed to be allocated to Seongnam City for personal gain. Lee, in his defense, argued that they simply asked witnesses to testify truthfully and stated that they would have been accused of bribery if they had accepted the 20 billion won profit.
The prosecution’s arrest warrant application also includes accusations related to Lee allegedly encouraging perjury. It claims that Lee called a witness surnamed Kim on December 22, 2018, and made a statement of specific content. The released transcript shows that Lee asked Kim to testify with a specific purpose, while Kim insisted that he could not remember. Furthermore, the prosecution has presented evidence that a defense summary written by Lee was delivered to the witness after the call, suggesting that witness Kim felt pressured to testify in favor of Lee and provide testimony that contradicted his memory.
Regarding the accusation of preferential treatment for Baekhyeon-dong, the prosecution stated that Lee caused damages worth 20 billion won to the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation. Lee allegedly expressed that if the corporation participated in the development project, there would be a confirmed profit of 20 billion won. Despite being informed of this opportunity, it is alleged that Lee gave up on the guaranteed profit. Attorney Park Gyun-taek, representing Lee, argued in a radio interview that asking to share development profits was unreasonable, as administrative agencies should prioritize public interest rather than profitability.
Regarding the alleged payments made by the Ssangbangwool Group to North Korea, the prosecution claimed that Lee’s exclusion from the special delegation at the September 2018 inter-Korean summit, as well as his decreased position as a presidential election candidate, led to Gyeonggi State and Representative Lee voluntarily supporting cooperation with North Korea and Lee’s visit to the country. The prosecution argued that since Gyeonggi Province lacked resources to directly transfer money to North Korea due to financial sanctions, the Ssangbangwool Group made the payments on behalf of the province. The prosecution further alleged that Lee was aware of this arrangement and the progress made. Attorney Park countered these claims, asserting that the Ssangbangwool Chairman, Kim Seong-tae, who implicated Lee, had his own vested interests and should not be trusted.
It is important to note that the views expressed by CEO Jae-myung Lee, Chairman Seong-tae Kim, and the prosecution align in this matter, which adds complexity to the investigation. The case continues to unfold, shedding light on the alleged misconduct involving Lee Jae-myeong.
Reporter: Jae-ho Lee
Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office in Seocho-gu on the morning of the 18th, when the prosecution requested an arrest warrant for Lee Jae-myeong, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is suspected of preferential treatment to the Baekhyeon- dong Ssangbangwool Group’s development project and payments to North Korea. random news
The 142-page arrest warrant application for Lee Jae-myeong, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, submitted to the National Assembly contains details of the reasons for Lee Jae-myeong’s arrest claimed by the prosecution. The prosecution claimed that CEO Lee asked witnesses involved in the case to give evidence different from their memories, and gave up the 20 billion won in profits guaranteed to Seongnam City for personal gain. Representative Lee objected, saying, “We asked you to testify the truth,” and “If we had received the 20 billion won profit, we would have been prosecuted for ‘bribery.'” According to the application for an arrest warrant attached to the arrest proposal sent by the Ministry of Justice to the National Assembly on the 19th, the prosecution claimed, in connection with the charge of encouraging perjury against Representative Lee, that the Representative Lee called a witness surnamed Kim on December. 22, 2018 and made a statement of specific content.. The transcript was released, saying it was a request for . Looking at the transcript, Representative Lee asks to testify to a specific purpose, and Mr. Kim insists that he does not remember. The prosecution explained that after the call ended, a summary of the defense written by Representative Lee was delivered by messenger. The prosecution claimed, “It was difficult for witness Kim to refuse the request of the current governor of Gyeonggi Province, so he decided to testify in favor of Representative Lee and made a statement that contradicted his memory in the case.” Rep. Lee’s position is, “We are asking you to ‘testify the truth,’ not asking for perjury.” Regarding the ‘suspicion of Baekhyeon-dong preferential treatment’ that CEO Lee caused damage worth 20 billion won to the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, the prosecution also claimed in March 2015, CEO Lee said, ‘If Seongnam Urban Development Corporation participates in the development project, there will be a confirmed profit of 20 billion won. He said he was giving up participation (giving up a guaranteed profit of 20 billion won) even after being told it would be provided. Attorney Park Gyun-taek, CEO Lee’s lawyer, said in a radio interview that day, “53% of the land for the (Korea) Food Research Institute was received as a donation, but asking to share development profits is not reasonable as it means ignoring the public nature of administrative agencies and prioritizing only profitability.” “When a private contractor offered to give 20 billion won just to pretend to invest (in construction), it is considered a crime not to accept it, but if he had accepted it, the prosecution would have said, ‘He ‘I will punish you for bribery,’ as in the case of Seongnam FC,” he said. Regarding the ‘suspicion of the Ssangbangwool Group’s payments to North Korea’, the prosecution said that as the Representative, Lee was excluded from the special delegation at the inter-Korean summit in September 2018, and that his position as a candidate for the next presidential election has decreased, Gyeonggi State and Representative Lee voluntarily supported cooperation with North Korea and Representative Lee’s visit to North Korea. I doubt that they have decided to proceed. The prosecution claimed that at the time Gyeonggi Province had no way to raise financial resources on its own and could not transfer money directly to North Korea, which was subject to financial sanctions, so Ssangbangwool Group had paid it instead. The prosecution claims that Representative Lee was informed of the progress during this process and was aware of it. Attorney Park said, “Ssangbangwool Chairman Kim Seong-tae claims that he paid money to CEO Lee, but he is a person who has his nose in the prosecution due to various corruptions, so it is very likely that he give the statement as the prosecution. wanted,” and “CEO Lee claims Chairman Kim is a gangster.” Because he came from a bad name and didn’t want a relationship, I refused to even meet him and didn’t send him a text thanking him. “In this regard, the judgments of CEO Jae-myung Lee, Chairman Seong-tae Kim, and the prosecution are consistent,” he said. Reporter Jae-ho Lee ph@hani.co.kr
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