PROSECUTION RAIDS CLOSE AIDE OF LEE

[Anchor Lead]

The prosecution searched this morning the residence of Jeong Jin-sang, the chief of the Democratic Party's political affairs coordination office and DP leader Lee Jae-myung's closest associate. The investigators targeted Jeong just one day after they indicted Kim Yong, another of Lee's confidant and deputy director of the Institute for Democracy, for violating the Political Fund Act.

[Pkg]

The prosecution has started investigating Jeong Jin-sang, the chief of the Democratic Party's political affairs coordination office, one day after Institute for Democracy deputy director Kim Yong was indicted. The anti-corruption investigation department of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office sent prosecutors and investigators to the home of Jeong Jin-sang in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do Province to execute a search and seizure on Wednesday morning. They are also attempting to search Jeong's offices in the National Assembly and the DP headquarters building. Jeong is accused of violating the anti-corruption act and receiving bribes. He allegedly received tens of millions of won in kickback from the so-called Daejang-dong members, which include former Seongnam Development Corporation executive Yoo Dong-gyu. The prosecution has secured testimonies from Yoo and attorney Nam Wook claiming that they had given money to Jeong for Lee Jae-myung. They testified that 50 million won were delivered to Jeong around the 2014 local election when Lee was re-elected Seongnam mayor and another 40 million won in 2020. The prosecution also has testimonies saying Jeong attended drinking parties and received expensive holiday gifts from the Daejang-dong members. Jeong has been denying the charges, calling such testimonies from Yoo complete lies not even worth considering. Jeong is known as Lee Jae-myung's confidant together with Institute for Democracy deputy director Kim Yong who was indicted Tuesday for violating the Political Fund Act. Lee Jae-myung had said as the Daejang-dong development scandal began to surface last year that only Jeong Jin-sang and Kim Yong deserved to be called confidants.