CONFIDANT OF LEE JAE-MYUNG INDICTED

[Anchor Lead]

A close confidant of main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung has been referred to trial. Kim Yong is indicted on charges of receiving illegal political funds of over 800 million won from property developers in Seongnam city. Kim firmly refutes the allegation and claims the prosecution was fabricating a fiction.

[Pkg]

Prosecutors have indicted Kim Yong, deputy head of the Institute for Democracy, on charges of violating the Political Funds Act. He is accused of taking illegal campaign funds of 847 million won over four occasions between last April and August during preparations for the presidential election primary race. Prosecutors believe Kim colluded with two former officials of Seongnam Development Corporation: Yoo Dong-gyu and Chung Min-yong, and also referred them to trial as accomplices. Lawyer Nam Wook, who gave the political funds, has also been indicted. Yoo earlier said it was Kim who first requested 2 billion won to be used for election campaigning.

[Soundbite] Yoo Dong-gyu(Former Acting Pres., Seongnam Development Corp.(Oct. 28)) : "(Did you know the money would be used for presidential election?) I was aware that it was for the primary race."

Based on testimony from related figures, prosecutors are known to have secured evidence pointing to the time and place where the money was delivered. Main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung's name was mentioned several times in the indictment papers but he was not indicated as an accomplice. However the prosecution believes collusive ties between Kim Yong and property developers of the Daejang-dong project began after Lee was elected Seongnam mayor, which then led to bribes and other forms of support. One official noted that Kim, Yoo and DP official Jeong Jin-sang were as close as brothers. They shared Seongnam city's policy information and were connected to private developers and business people. Investigations will continue into suspicions that Yoo gave tens of millions of won to Jeong as well. Kim Yong, who refused to talk during the investigation, issued a statement refuting the indictment. Rejecting the charges, he said the prosecution was writing up a fiction to make him an accomplice of the Daejangdong scandal and vowed to put an end to the fabrication.