Lee Jae-myung, the opposition leader in South Korea, has been charged on corruption allegations relating to real estate developments and a football club he controlled during his time as a city mayor. As mayor of Seongnam, South Korea’s state-funded metropolis, Democratic Party leader Lee is being investigated for alleged bribery, breach of duty, conflict of interest, and concealment of criminal gains. On Wednesday, Yonhap News Agency said. After an investigation lasting 18 months, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office revealed the accusations related to a 1.5 trillion won ($1.15bn) building project in Seongnam, which is located approximately 20 kilometers south of Seoul.
Lee, mayor of Seongnam from 2010 to 2018, is accused by prosecutors of conspiring with real estate developers while in office to assist them steal 800 billion won ($611.5m), causing damages to the city of almost 490 million won. Lee is also suspected of attempting to extort money from many businesses in exchange for favorable treatment from the government in order to bail out the city’s faltering football team. Lee, who was defeated in last year’s presidential race by current top prosecutor turned politician Yoon Suk-yeol, has denied any wrongdoing and instead portrayed himself as the victim of a political vengeance perpetrated by the conservative administration. It was “not shocking at all,” Lee said at a Democratic Party gathering on Wednesday. As Lee put it, “the indictment has already been resolved,” Yonhap reports. Last month, prosecutors tried and failed to have Lee arrested when the National Assembly, where the Democratic Party has a slim majority, voted against revoking his immunity from arrest as a sitting lawmaker.
While Lee narrowly lost to Yoon in last year’s presidential election, his popularity has taken a hit due to the charges made against him. Almost 54% of people believed Lee should resign in a poll commissioned by the official broadcaster KBS earlier this month, and 52% felt parliament was wrong to refuse a request for his arrest. 54% of respondents agreed that the allegations against Lee justified an investigation, while 41% said they thought the investigation was political payback.
