Death of another aide adds pressure on opposition leader

• Published date: 10 March 2023
• Publication title: The Korea Times

A former chief of staff to main opposition party leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung was found dead Thursday. The apparent suicide is fueling speculation over the cause of the tragedy following the deaths of four other people close to Lee, who is the target of high-profile investigations into corruption allegations.

The news has drawn criticism and concerns from ruling party politicians, who are calling on the chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to come clean about all of the allegations facing him. Lee, however, attributed the latest death to "excessive" investigation by prosecutors.

Jeon Hyung-soo, 64, who served as Lee's chief of staff when he was the mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province, was found dead at his home the city south of Seoul. Jeon is the fifth person, if confirmed, to commit suicide since investigations targeting Lee began in 2021.

Speaking to reporters, Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, chairman of the People Power Party (PPP), questioned whether Lee is fit to serve in the post, saying he was "disturbed" by a series of similar incidents around the main opposition party chief.

"Regardless of the reasons, many of the people who had a relationship with Lee have died … The public will have a hard time understanding this," he said.

Rep. Sung Il-jong, the PPP's top policymaker, criticized Lee for refusing to take any political responsibility...