YOO SAYS ‘GIFT MONEY’ MEANT FOR DP CHAIR

[Anchor Lead]

Jeong Jin-sang and Kim Yong, close aides of Democratic Party representative Lee Jae-myung were indicted Friday for allegedly receiving bribes and illegal political funds from Daejangdong land scandal businessmen. They're also under the allegations of being promised of development profits amounting to tens of billions of won. During an interview with KBS, Yoo Dong-gyu the ex-acting chief of Seongnam Development Corporation, already under trial said, the money he passed on under the name of 'holiday gifts' to Jeong Jin-sang was in fact for representative Lee Jae-myung.

[Pkg]

Jeong Jin-sang, who served as vice chief of staff to Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung, was indicted on Friday on four charges. One allegation is that he received 10 million won each on 3 occasions from former acting chief of Seongnam Development Corporation Yoo Dong-gyu in the name of holiday gifts. Yoo claimed that this money was meant for the DP chair.

[Soundbite] Yoo Dong-gyu(Former Acting Pres., Seongnam Development Corp.) : "I did everything I can for Lee within my ability...such things that he or others around him couldn't do."

Lee's camp contends that Jeong has never received such money and therefore Yoo's claim that it was meant for Lee is also out of the question. Separately, Yoo is also known to have given Jeong over 240 million won in bribes. But Yoo has avoided providing key facts such as chairman Lee's involvement.

[Soundbite] Yoo Dong-gyu(Former Acting Pres., Seongnam Development Corp.) : "I think it's better to speak in court. Any remarks I make now will be disputed and cause more controversy."

Yoo however did add that he believes Jeong must have notified and shared every detail with Lee.

[Soundbite] Yoo Dong-gyu(Former Acting Pres., Seongnam Development Corp.) : "Jeong and Lee was like ‘light and shadow’. I don't believe Jeong did not share what he knew with Lee and could do things on his own."

Lee's camp also refuted this argument, saying that it's only natural for the mayor to look after municipal projects and Lee didn't act in a way to monetarily benefit private real estate developers. Yoo also claimed that Kim Man-bae, a former legal journalist and the largest shareholder of asset management firm Hwacheon Daeyu, was a necessary figure to oversee Lee's judicial risks because at the time Lee was indicted over election law violations related to his gubernatorial race. But Yoo, again, did not elaborate further, saying he will explain the details during the court trial.