Lee Jae-myung Legal Fee Case: Prosecutors Drop Charges
South Korean prosecutors have closed their investigation into allegations that President Lee Jae-myung’s legal fees were improperly funded during his 2018 campaign for governor of Gyeonggi Province, according to reports confirmed by the legal community on Wednesday.
The 수원지검 (Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office) initially dismissed charges related to election law in September 2022, citing insufficient evidence, and has since concluded investigations into related accusations of bribery and violations of the Improper Solicitation and Bribery Prevention Act, according to officials at the Khan newspaper and Yonhap News Agency.
The original allegations centered on claims that 쌍방울 그룹 (Ssangbangwool Group) used convertible bonds to cover substantial legal fees incurred by Lee during a public election law case. Lee, then a candidate for governor, faced scrutiny over alleged irregularities in the election process. The prosecution’s investigation began in October 2021 following complaints filed by both the 국민의힘 (People Power Party) and citizen groups.
The People Power Party formally accused Lee of bribery, although citizen groups alleged violations of election law. Prosecutors initially focused on the election law claims due to the statute of limitations, dismissing them in September 2022. Investigations into the bribery and anti-corruption allegations continued for an additional period.
In October 2024, prosecutors dismissed the charges related to the Improper Solicitation and Bribery Prevention Act. The final remaining allegation, concerning bribery, was also dismissed in May 2024, bringing the total investigation time to approximately three years and seven months. The Hankyoreh newspaper reported the final dismissal of the bribery charges.
During the investigation, prosecutors also examined allegations of illicit funds being used to support Lee’s defense, but ultimately determined that sufficient evidence to support a conviction could not be found. The investigation had briefly shifted focus to allegations of illicit funds being sent to North Korea, but ultimately returned to the original allegations of improper legal funding.
As of Thursday, the prosecution has not released a detailed statement outlining the specific reasons for the dismissals, and no further investigative steps have been publicly announced.