<Anchor>



Prosecutors have arrested Kim Yong, deputy director of the Institute for Democracy, a close aide to Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.

It is alleged that he received hundreds of millions of won from former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation's planning director Yoo Dong-gyu, and it is known that he received the money after CEO Lee Jae-myung registered as a presidential candidate last year.



Reporter Kim Kwan-jin reports exclusively.



<Reporter>



The 3rd part of the anti-corruption investigation of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which has been investigating allegations of corruption in Daejang-dong and the Wirye new town, arrested Kim Yong, deputy director of the Institute for Democracy, a close aide to Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party leader, on the morning of the 19th.



In addition, the home of Vice-President Kim was seized and searched, and the Yeouido Institute for Democracy, where the office of Vice-President Kim is located, is also being searched and confiscated.



Deputy director Kim Dong-gyu is accused of receiving 800 million won in illegal funds from former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation's planning division head Dong-gyu Dong and Wirye development-related private companies.



It is also known that the prosecution secured statements from officials that the time when the money was suspected was before and after the registration of the presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party leader, last summer.



Vice-Chairman Kim, along with Jeong Jin-sang, head of the Political Affairs Coordination Office of the Democratic Party's representative office, is considered to be the closest aide to the Democratic Party's leader Lee Jae-myung.



In fact, when the suspicion of the Daejang-dong gate was raised in October of last year, CEO Lee said, "If you are an aide, you should be like Jeong Jin-sang and Kim Yong."



It was also revealed that the other persons whom former general manager Yoo spoke to right before the search and seizure in September last year were also deputy director Kim Yong and deputy director Jeong Jin-sang.



Deputy Director Kim denied the allegations, saying, "The prosecution is creating crimes without the prosecution," but protested, saying, "I will do everything I can to correct the behavior of the prosecution, which engages in political manipulation."