(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Bal-eum and Kim Bit-na = Namwook, a private businessman involved in the Daejang-dong development project, argued in court on the 12th, "The prosecution (currently the Public Prosecution Office) severely divided those who cooperated with the investigation and those who did not, thereby giving them a disadvantage," and added, "It will soon be revealed by the special prosecutor."
This statement is attracting attention as it is expected to be passed and promulgated at the Cabinet meeting next week as the 'Special Prosecution Bill on Manipulated Prosecutions' to investigate whether there were illegal investigations and prosecutions by the Yoon Seok-yeol government's prosecution. The bill's investigation target also includes cases related to the Daejangdong project.
Mr. Nam said this while appearing as a witness in the contract money lawsuit between Accountant Jeong and Jae-chang Jeong, another private businessman in the Daejang-dong project, held at the Seoul Central District Court Civil Settlement Division 29 (Presiding Judge Ko Seung-il) on this day.
This incident became the starting point for suspicions of preferential treatment for the development of Daejeon-dong to surface.
Accountant Jeong, private businessmen in Daejang-dong, including Mr. Nam, and Mr. Jeong were entangled from the beginning of the business.
From the beginning, Mr. Jeong was in a business partnership with Mr. Nam and Accountant Jeong in the Daejeon-dong business. In 2013, they gave approximately 300 million won to Yoo Dong-gyu, former planning director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, for the purpose of providing convenience for development projects.
Mr. Jeong later handed over his stake in the Daejang-dong project to Mr. Man-bae Kim and left the business. However, when Accountant Jeong and Mr. Nam made huge profits from the Daejeon-dong development project, he demanded to be given his share of contributions.
Mr. Nam and Accountant Jeong signed an agreement to pay approximately 15 billion won to Mr. Jeong in 2019, of which 12 billion won was actually paid.
Accordingly, in July 2021, Mr. Jeong filed a lawsuit against Cheonhwa Dong-in No. 5 (one of the investment companies of the 'Seongnam Uiteul' consortium that led the Daejang-dong development project), of which Accountant Jeong is the actual owner, demanding the remaining contract amount of 3 billion won.
Afterwards, Accountant Jeong filed a countersuit for 6 billion won in damages in September of the same year, claiming that the agreement was concluded after Mr. Jeong threatened to expose the fact that he had paid a bribe to former division head Yoo Dong-gyu while demanding his share.
In November of that year, a criminal complaint was filed against Mr. Jeong, but the prosecution did not indict Mr. Jeong in June on the basis that Mr. Nam, Man-bae Kim, and others made statements to the effect that 'this was not a threat, but an acknowledgment of their contribution as an early business operator.'
However, when asked why he agreed to pay the money at the time during the witness interrogation of the deposit lawsuit, Nam changed his position by saying, "It was a burden for the early illegal activities," and that there was no reason to give a large amount of money if there had been no threat from Jeong at the time.
He continued, "The reason for the prosecution's non-indictment will be revealed when the special prosecutor goes to the special prosecution," and added, "The only person among us who has not been subject to confiscation and preservation is Jeong Jae-chang."
Mr. Nam criticized, "The prosecution set the question itself as 'Jung Jae-chang's threat' and 'Jeong Jae-chang's blackmail,' but now that we have come into conflict with the prosecution, they have concluded everything that is contrary to ours."
Regarding the threat incident, Mr. Nam strongly criticized Mr. Jeong, saying, "I'm only talking about it now, but this incident became the starting point of the Daejeon-dong incident. That's why we've been doing this for five years. We've told him several times to please be more moderate."
Mr. Nam previously reversed former headquarters director Yoo Dong-gyu's statement about the purpose of the 300 million won he received in 2013.
Mr. Nam argued in court in November 2022, "At the time, Dong-gyu said it was 'money to be delivered to high-ranking people,' and referred to them as 'brothers,' so I knew them as Jeong Jin-sang, former head of the political affairs coordination office at the Democratic Party of Korea's representative office, and Kim Yong, vice president of the Democratic Institute."
They pointed out two people, former Director Jeong Jin-sang and Deputy Director Kim Yong, who were close associates of President Lee Jae-myung and were suspected of being a 'link' during the prosecution's investigation.
However, at the trial of former Chief Jeong Jin-sang in September last year, after President Lee Jae-myung took office, in response to a lawyer's question about whether he remembered the statement at the time accurately, he claimed, "It was something I had no idea about at the time, and it was something I heard from prosecutors when I was investigated again in 2021."
At the trial in November of the same year, the investigating prosecutor said, 'You can cut open the stomach and take out all the organs, and only cut out the affected part. He said, "It's your choice," and claimed, "I couldn't not follow the direction of the prosecutors' investigation."
Mr. Nam was indicted last year on suspicion of Daejang-dong development corruption, was sentenced to four years in prison in the first trial, and was taken into court custody. Afterwards, as the appeal trial dragged on, he was released at the expiration of his detention period in April.
On the 10th, he was sentenced to one year in prison on charges of bribery in the appeal trial of the 'Daejang-dong 5 billion club' suspicion case.
Meanwhile, the Special Prosecution Bill, which will investigate suspicions of fabricated investigations and prosecutions by prosecutors under the Yoon Seok-yeol government, including the case of President Lee Jae-myung, passed the plenary session of the National Assembly led by the Democratic Party of Korea on the 6th and is scheduled to be submitted to the Cabinet on the 17th.
Of the 12 cases subject to investigation by the special prosecutor, six cases, or half, are cases in which President Lee was indicted and the trial was suspended, including corruption in the development of Daejang-dong, Wirye New Town, and Baekhyeon-dong and suspicion of Ssangbangwool remittances to North Korea.
