South Korea’s opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung, has been indicted on charges of corruption related to real estate developments and a football club he oversaw during his time as a city mayor. Lee, who is the leader of the left-leaning Democratic Party, faces charges including bribery, breach of duty, conflict of interest, and concealment of criminal proceeds stemming from his time as mayor of Seongnam. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office announced the charges following an 18-month investigation into a construction project worth 1.5 trillion won ($1.15bn) in Seongnam.
Prosecutors allege that Lee colluded with real estate developers to help them pocket 800 billion won ($611.5m), inflicting losses of nearly 490 million won on the city. Lee is also accused of soliciting bribes from several companies to fund the city’s struggling football club in exchange for preferential government treatment. Lee has denied any wrongdoing and cast himself as the victim of a political vendetta orchestrated by the conservative government.
Lee lost last year’s presidential election to chief prosecutor-turned-politician Yoon Suk-yeol. Prosecutors last month failed in a bid to arrest Lee after the National Assembly, where the Democratic Party holds a commanding majority, narrowly voted against stripping him of his immunity from arrest as a sitting politician. While Lee only lost to Yoon by a razor margin in last year’s presidential poll, the allegations against him have dented his popularity.
In a poll commissioned by the state broadcaster KBS earlier this month, nearly 54 percent of respondents said Lee should resign, while 52 percent said parliament had been wrong to deny a warrant for his arrest. Nearly 54 percent of those asked said the claims against Lee deserved to be investigated, while nearly 41 said they believed the probe was political retribution.
Lee told a Democratic Party meeting on Wednesday that his indictment was “not surprising at all.” He said, “As I have repeated many times, the indictment had already been determined.” The charges against Lee include bribery, breach of duty, conflict of interest, and concealment of criminal proceeds.
The allegations against Lee are significant because he is the leader of South Korea’s main opposition party. The Democratic Party is the largest opposition party in South Korea and has been critical of the conservative government led by President Moon Jae-in. The charges against Lee could weaken the party’s position ahead of next year’s presidential election.
The case against Lee is part of a broader crackdown on corruption in South Korea. The country has been rocked by several high-profile corruption scandals in recent years, including one involving former President Park Geun-hye. Park was impeached and removed from office in 2017 over allegations of bribery and abuse of power.
The charges against Lee also come at a time when South Korea is grappling with a surge in COVID-19 cases. The country reported more than 2,000 new cases on Wednesday, the highest daily total since the pandemic began. The government has imposed strict social distancing measures in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.
In conclusion, Lee Jae-myung, the leader of South Korea’s left-leaning Democratic Party, has been indicted on charges of corruption related to real estate developments and a football club he oversaw during his time as a city mayor. The charges against Lee include bribery, breach of duty, conflict of interest, and concealment of criminal proceeds. Lee has denied any wrongdoing and cast himself as the victim of a political vendetta orchestrated by the conservative government. The case against Lee is part of a broader crackdown on corruption in South Korea and could weaken the Democratic Party’s position ahead of next year’s presidential election.