Former chief of staff to Lee Jae-myung found dead

The entrance to the Seongnam Sujeong Police Station. (courtesy of the station)

The first person to serve as chief of staff for Lee Jae-myung during his tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province was found dead at his home on Thursday.Lee, leader of South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party, is currently the target of several investigations by the prosecution service.According to sources at the Seongnam Sujeong District Police Station, the body of the individual, surnamed Jeon, was found at 6:40 pm at his home in the district.Based on evidence collected at the scene, the police believe that Jeon’s death was a suicide.“I’m told a letter that’s presumed to be a suicide note was handed over to his family members,” said a source with the police. The details of the note were not made public.Jeon had once been regarded as one of Lee’s closest associates, serving as chief of staff and head of planning and coordination during Lee’s tenure as mayor of Seongnam. Jeon also served as head of the city’s Sujeong District.When Lee was elected governor of Gyeonggi Province in 2018, Jeon led Lee’s transitional team and then served as his chief of staff.Later, Jeon was also head of management and strategy at the Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Development Corporation (GH), a public corporation that reported to Gyeonggi Province. Jeon also filled in as GH’s acting head following the resignation of CEO Lee Hyeon-uk in November 2021.Jeon was reportedly not engaged in any notable public activities following his resignation in December 2022.While Jeon hadn’t been the focus of the various allegations surrounding Lee, his name did come up from time to time. He was the GH official responsible for renting a house next to Lee Jae-myung’s residence when allegations were raised last year that the house had been used as an unofficial campaign headquarters.Prosecutors looked into allegations about the house, but only Lee Hyeon-uk and other employees involved were booked in the case.Jeon’s name came up again recently during a hearing at the Suwon District Court on Jan. 31 in a case in which former Gyeonggi Province Vice Gov. Lee Hwa-young is charged with accepting bribes from the Ssangbangwool Group.A group employee called as a witness in the trial testified that Jeon paid his condolences at the funeral of the mother of Kim Seong-tae, then chairperson of the Ssangbangwool Group, on behalf of Lee Jae-myung. Jeon was serving as chief of staff for Lee, who was governor of Gyeonggi Province, at the time.The media recently reported that the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, which is investigating allegations that funds were channeled into North Korea, has recently learned from a Ssangbangwool Group employee about Jeon’s remarks during his visit to the funeral.The prosecutors declined to confirm the report in question on the grounds that the investigation is ongoing.No definite link has been established between Jeon’s suicide and the prosecutors’ ongoing investigations into Lee Jae-myung.“We don’t know for sure if Jeon was being targeted by the prosecutors who are investigating Lee Jae-myung. The circumstances of his death will need to be investigated further,” said a source with the police.By Lee Jung-ha, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]