Opposition leader blames prosecution for death of former aide

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

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leader Lee Jae-myung on Friday blamed the prosecution for the death of one of his former chiefs of staff, saying he cannot forgive what he calls the prosecution's "excessive" investigation.

The former aide, surnamed Jeon who served as Lee's chief of staff during his term as the Gyeonggi governor, was found dead in an apparent suicide at his home in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Thursday. If confirmed, Jeon would be the fifth person around Lee to commit suicide since corruption allegations involving Lee surfaced in 2021.

Jeon is known to have undergone questioning by prosecutors in recent months in connection with allegations of Lee's third-party bribery surrounding corporate donations to the municipal football club Seongnam FC. He left a suicide note in which he reportedly urged Lee to give up politics.

"This happened because of the prosecution's investigation that applied excessive pressure, not because of Lee Jae-myung," the DPK chairman said in a party meeting. "The way the Yoon Suk Yeol prosecution conducts investigations is a hunt. It picks a target, and the hunt never ends until the target is caught."

Lee said Jeon was the "most...