In connection with allegations of "hiding virtual assets" raised during the June 3 local elections, police have launched a compulsory investigation targeting former Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok.
According to police on the 28th, the anti-corruption and economic crime unit of the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency sent investigators to the former mayor Yoo's home and the general affairs office at Incheon City Hall and conducted a search and seizure the previous day over suspicions including violations of the Public Official Election Act.
Police are said to have secured some related evidence, including mobile phones and computers, needed to substantiate the allegations against the former mayor Yoo during the search and seizure.
Before the search and seizure, police summoned the former mayor Yoo and a person surnamed Choi, the spouse, for questioning and completed their interviews. They also finished fact-checking interviews with a figure from Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae's side, who filed the complaint.
Currently, the former mayor Yoo and the spouse are suspected of intentionally leaving out 21,000 virtual assets by moving them to an overseas exchange during the process of registering a candidate's assets for the local elections.
Park Chan-dae's Incheon mayoral election committee filed civil and criminal complaints with police against the former mayor Yoo and the spouse about 10 days before election day. Afterward, the Incheon City Election Commission also determined there was a potential election law violation and submitted an additional complaint.
On the 2nd, the day before the election, the election commission issued a correction notice, seeing that the size of assets the former mayor Yoo listed in his campaign materials was reflected about 78 million won less than what he actually held.