Prosecution likely to summon Naver chief for probe

Feb 01, 2023, 08:57 am

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Naver headquarters in Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi Province./ Photographed by Song Eui-joo

Special Coverage Team

Former Naver CEO Kim Sang-heon, who was investigated by the prosecution, reportedly expressed opposition to sponsor Seongnam FC. In addition, as civic groups accused Naver head Lee Hae-jin, the prosecution’s investigation into Lee is expected to be inevitable.

According to AsiaToday’s coverage on Tuesday, the Seongnam Fair Forum filed a complaint with the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office on January 26 to investigate Lee Hae-jin and former Democratic Party lawmaker Je Yoon-kyung for third-party bribery allegations, bringing the “Seongnam FC donation” scandal involving Naver to a new phase.

Prosecutors have been investigating the change in the floor area ratio of Naver’s second office building from 670 percent to 913 percent and the change in the direction of the parking lot of the building toward the highway after Naver sponsored 4 billion won to Seongnam FC.

In particular, the prosecution reportedly investigated former CEO Kim Sang-heon in December last year, and conducted an intensive investigation for about 10 hours, focusing on the process of the “four-way agreement” signed by Naver, Seongnam City, Seongnam FC, and Heemang Salim in 2015.

Kim reportedly stated in the prosecution’s investigation that he opposed Seongnam FC sponsorship because it could be bribery.

As then-CEO Kim Sang-heon reportedly opposed it, there was a possibility that Lee Hae-jin, who was chairman of the board, finally decided to sponsor Seongnam FC, raising voices calling for the prosecution’s investigation against Lee.

Voices are expected to grow over the inevitability of the investigation into Lee as Seongnam Fair Forum accused Lee of the alleged “Seongnam FC sponsorship.” It is the first time that Lee has been accused in connection with the allegations.

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