Three men linked to a mafia-involved real estate deal that is threatening to take down a front-runner for president of South Korea die within two months of each other

•  Three men who allegedly had access to damning information have died
•  Two of the men took their own lives and the third person died of a heart attack
•  Comes as South Korea’s presidential candidates began campaigning 

Three men who may have had access to damning information concerning a South Korean presidential hopeful have died within two months of each other.

The potential whistleblowers allegedly held information about a mafia-involved real estate deal that took place while the nominee of the Democratic Party Lee Jae-myung was mayor of Seongnam. 

Two of the men, who worked at the Seongnam Development Corporation, took their own lives last December before they were to be interrogated for their roles in bribes that were connected to the real estate project in 2015.

Their deaths came just before a third man died last month from a heart attack.  

It comes as South Korea’s presidential candidates Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Suk-yeol, from the conservative main opposition People Power Party, formally began campaigning in what is set to be the tightest race in 20 years between its two main parties.    

The three men allegedly held access to damning information concerning Democratic Party Lee Jae-myung (pictured)

Mr Jae-myung began his career as a civil rights lawyer before becoming mayor of Seongnam in 2010.

During his time as mayor he had the ability to purchase land for a development project, aimed at bringing wealth to the Gyeonggi Province, at low prices. 

However questions later began to surface around where the estimated one hundred million dollars worth of profits from the development deal went after they were accrued by an asset management company.

Members of the People Power Party accused of Mr Jae-myung of being involved with a mafia organisation.

One businessman told The Daily Beast: ‘The mafia hold the power here. They were the only ones who can do these things.’

Questions surrounding  what happened to the vast sums of money generated by the project are now threatening to take down the front-runner. 

Mr Jae-myung has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged by police been investigating the Seongnam project.

Dogged by the scandal involving the development plan, he used his acceptance speech last year to pledge progress on policy issues, including a push for universal basic income and more affordable housing amid skyrocketing property prices. 

People Power Party leader Yoon Seok-youl, has also been caught up in scandals of his own. 

Mr Jae-myung (speaking during a press conference in Seoul) began his career as a civil rights lawyer before becoming mayor of Seongnam in 2010

People Power Party leader Yoon Seok-youl (pictured) was last year accused of meeting an unlicensed anal acupuncturist

Last year Mr Seok-youl was forced to distance himself from a unlicensed anal acupuncturist and a Rasputin-like preacher. 

He denied knowing the acupuncturist, and said he only ‘seldom’ meets fortune-tellers or shamans.

The rival nominee denied any wrongdoing.

Lee Jae-myung  currently trails Yoon Suk-yeol from the conservative main opposition People Power Party, 34 per cent to 41 per cent, according to a public opinion poll by Gallup Korea. 

Ahn Cheol-soo, a third candidate has 11 per cent support.

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