Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung’s campaign has been marred by a level of drama unusual even by the standards of Korea’s convoluted and chaotic politics -- deaths of three individuals with links to allegations involving the candidate.

The latest death was reported on Jan. 12, when the police found the body of lawyer named Lee Byung-chul in a motel room in Yangcheon-gu, western Seoul. He was found about three days after his sister reported him missing.

His death immediately caused controversy, with some raising calls for thorough investigations into Lee Byung-chul's death and the allegations he made – namely that Lee Jae-myung had his legal fees paid for him by someone else in 2018.

While initial forensic results have indicated that Lee Byung-chul died from underlying heath problems, questions still remain as to how his death came about.

Deceased lawyer at the center of allegation

Lee Byung-chul was seen by the opposition bloc as a key informant on Lee Jae-myung.

He is believed to be the first person to have provided a civic group with information that Ssangbangwool, local underwear manufacturing firm, paid for the presidential candidate’s legal fees when he was on trial on charges of election law violations.

The trial, on charges of spreading false information during the 2018 gubernatorial election campaign, ran until the middle of last year. The alleged violation occurred during a TV debate in which he claimed to have played no part in his brother...

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