Seoul: The Supreme Court has finalized a five-year prison term for Kim In-seob, a lobbyist involved in a high-profile development corruption scandal linked to opposition leader Lee Jae-myung. The court also ordered Kim to forfeit 6.35 billion won (US$4.5 million) as part of the judgment.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the scandal involves allegations that the Seongnam municipal government provided special favors to a private developer for an apartment construction project in the Baekhyeon-dong area between 2015 and 2016, a period during which Lee Jae-myung was serving as mayor. Kim, who served as Lee’s campaign policy chief during his mayoral bid, was indicted for accepting 7.7 billion won and other business rights from the property development firm in exchange for securing administrative favors.

Prosecutors allege that Kim leveraged his connections with Lee and a close aide, surnamed Jeong, to obtain money from the development firm. Both the district and appellate courts found Kim guilty, sentencing him
to five years in prison. Kim appealed the ruling, but the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, confirming there were no legal errors in the previous rulings.

The decision marks a significant resolution in the corruption case, underscoring the judicial system’s stance on political corruption and misuse of power in developmental projects.