Lee Jae-myung's Closest Aide Kim Yong Sentenced in First Trial Today... Charges Including 'Daejang-dong Bribery'

Lee Jae-myung 'Daejang-dong Trial' Likely to Influence
Yoo Dong-gyu, Nam Wook, and Jeong Min-yong Also Sentenced Together

The first trial verdict for Kim Yong, former deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute and a close aide to Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was indicted on charges of receiving illegal election funds and bribes from private developers involved in the Daejang-dong project, will be announced on the 30th. This ruling is effectively the court's first judgment related to the Daejang-dong development corruption case and is expected to significantly influence the upcoming trials of Lee Jae-myung.

Former Deputy Director Kim Yong of the Democratic Research Institute is attending the sentencing hearing related to 'illegal presidential election fund receipt' on September 21.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 23 (Presiding Judge Jo Byung-gu) will hold a sentencing hearing at 2 p.m. on the same day for Kim, former deputy director, Yoo Dong-gyu, former head of planning at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, and private developers Nam Wook and lawyer Jeong Min-yong, who were indicted on charges including violations of the Political Funds Act and bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.

Kim is accused of conspiring with Yoo and others around the time of the party’s presidential primary from April to August last year to receive 847 million won in four installments from Nam under the pretext of presidential election funds. He is also charged with receiving a total of 190 million won in four installments from Yoo between February 2013 and April 2014 while serving as a standing member of the Urban Construction Committee of the Seongnam City Council, in exchange for facilitating the establishment of the corporation and the Daejang-dong development project.

At the previous closing arguments, the prosecution criticized, "Kim’s crime of demanding election funds from private developers with whom he had long-standing collusion and receiving hundreds of millions of won in cash to use in the party primary was shocking even to the prosecutors. It seems he had no sense of guilt, thinking that as long as he won, he could cover up the entire process by any means necessary."

The prosecution requested the court to sentence Kim to 12 years in prison, impose a fine of 380 million won, and order the confiscation of 790 million won.

Additionally, the prosecution asked for a sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison and a confiscation of 140 million won for Yoo, who is both a major accomplice and a whistleblower, expressing hope that Yoo would be recognized not as a ‘betrayer’ but as someone who showed courage. For Jeong, the prosecution requested a sentence of 1 year in prison and confiscation of 7 million won. For Nam, who provided the funds, the prosecution requested a sentence of 1 year in prison and confiscation of 100 million won.

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