People Power Party: 'All Daejang-dong Defendants Receive Heavy Sentences in First Trial... President Lee Jae Myung's Trial Must Resume'

[Financial News] On the 1st, the People Power Party commented on the heavy sentences and immediate detention of key figures implicated in the Daejang-dong development corruption case, stating, 'The trial of President Lee Jae Myung, the final decision-maker in Daejang-dong, must resume immediately.'
Chief spokesperson Park Sung-hoon stated in a commentary, 'The court made it clear that their breach of trust crimes were committed under the direction of Seongnam's top leadership and that these were collusive corruption offenses.' He further argued, 'The court has clearly recognized this as a structural power-related corruption created under the Lee Jae Myung mayoral administration, not just a simple private-sector crime.'
Previously, the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 22 (Presiding Judge Cho Hyung-woo) sentenced Dong-gyu Yu, former SDC executive, and Kim Man-bae, major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, to eight years in prison each on charges of aggravated breach of trust under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes and violation of the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act. The court ordered the immediate detention of Yu, Kim, and three other defendants.
Spokesperson Park continued, 'Was President Lee Jae Myung, who was then the mayor of Seongnam, truly free of responsibility?' He added, 'The designer, the approver, and the authorizer were all Seongnam, and that very mayor was President Lee Jae Myung himself.' He criticized, 'While Dong-gyu Yu, Kim Man-bae, Nam Wook, Min Yong Jung, and Yeonghak Jeong have all been detained, only President Lee Jae Myung, the final decision-maker, has yet to stand trial.'
Regarding the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK)'s push to abolish the criminal breach of trust charge, Park said, 'Trials for the Daejang-dong, Baekhyeon-dong, and Corporate Credit Card Misuse Case are all proceeding on breach of trust charges. If the breach of trust statute disappears, all trials against the President will be halted.' He criticized this as 'an unconstitutional idea to rewrite the law instead of standing trial.'
He further urged President Lee Jae Myung, 'Stop hiding behind political shields and face judicial judgment with integrity.' He emphasized, 'The public is watching to see where the final link in the Daejang-dong corruption leads, and any attempt to evade this will only meet with public resistance.'
Chunghyoung Lee, another spokesperson for the People Power Party, also issued a statement on the same day regarding the first trial verdict in the Daejang-dong case. He said, 'This court ruling suggests that the shadow of power lies at the heart of all these crimes.' He argued, 'Ultimately, the structural roots of the Daejang-dong corruption point to the then-mayor who held policy decision-making authority in Seongnam, namely President Lee Jae Myung.'
In contrast, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) countered, 'President Lee Jae Myung is innocent.' In a statement the previous day, spokesperson Park Sung-hoon said, 'The court appears to have found that the Seongnam mayor could make relatively free decisions about the land acquisition method without knowing the extent of collusion between Dong-gyu Yu and private contractors.' He explained, 'In effect, the court did not acknowledge any collusive relationship involving President Lee.'
He continued, 'Therefore, President Lee, who was indicted for breach of trust in this case, is clearly innocent.' He added, 'It is not too late for the prosecution. We strongly demand that the prosecution admit to the fabricated indictment against President Lee and immediately withdraw the charges.'
haeram@fnnews.com Lee Haeram Reporter