Prosecutors indicted main opposition Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung without detention on Wednesday on charges of violating the Act on Breach of Trust, Conflict of Interest Prevention and Corruption Prevention under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes and the Act on Bribery and Concealment of Criminal Proceeds under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes during his time as Seongnam mayor from 2016 to 2018. Prosecutors accused Lee of causing damages of up to $375.4 million (489.5 billion won) to the Seongnam city government by approving the Daejang-dong development project structure that was advantageous to private businesses while he was mayor. Prosecutors also accused Lee of leaking insider information, such as the schedule of the Daejang-dong development project, business method, plan to open the Seopangyo Tunnel and contents of the competition guidelines to private contractors through his aides, so that they would collect $603 million (788.6 billion won).

Saying that the indictment was “not surprising at all,” Lee denied all the allegations. He branded the investigation as politically orchestrated by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration to remove a “political enemy.”