Police investigating allegations surrounding a Seongnam land development project are trying to locate a key figure who has fled overseas.

The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said Saturday it has requested help from Interpol to locate the whereabouts of lawyer Nam Wook who is currently in the U.S.

Prosecutors, also investigating the same scandal, earlier asked the Foreign Ministry to revoke Nam's passport.

The lawyer is a central figure who spearheaded the Daejang-dong development project in Seongnam city since 2009. After then-Seongnam mayor Lee Jae-myung changed the project into a joint public and private sector venture in 2014, Nam took part in the project together with Kim Man-bae, a major shareholder of the asset management firm Hwacheon Daeyu. 

Nam also owns Cheonhwa Dongin No. 4, a subsidiary of Hwacheon Daeyu.

He collected over 100 billion won in dividends for investing about 87 million won in the Daejang-dong project.

He reportedly left Korea months before the scandal broke out.