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Ex-DP leader quits party over bribery accusations

Published: 23 Apr. 2023, 17:38 Updated: 24 Apr. 2023, 16:31

Former Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil holds a press conference with Korean correspondents in Paris on Saturday to address allegations that his allies in the party distributed envelopes of cash to support his leadership bid prior to the party's national convention in May 2021. [YONHAP]

Former liberal Democratic Party (DP) leader Song Young-gil said Saturday that he would quit his party and take “full political responsibility” for allegations that his DP allies distributed bribes to party members and lawmakers to support his successful party leadership bid in 2021.

Speaking at a press conference in Paris, where he now resides, the former DP chairman said he would not only resign from his current position as a senior DP advisor, but also leave the party entirely to face the allegations head-on upon his return to Seoul on Monday.

“Regardless of whether or not these allegations have legal merit, the full responsibility for them falls completely on me, and I will address the countless allegations plaguing those who helped me,” he said.

The scandal centers on suspicions that Song’s DP allies distributed envelopes containing cash totaling 94 million won ($70,570) to party members, including some 10-20 lawmakers, to help Song be elected as party leader ahead of the party's national convention in May 2021.

Song won party leadership at the convention.

Song also said during his press conference that he will depart for Seoul on Sunday to voluntarily cooperate with the prosecution’s investigation.

“I ask the prosecution to summon me immediately upon my return. I will proactively respond to questions during the investigation,” he said, adding that he would seek to re-join the DP “after resolving all problems.”

Prosecutors have yet to formally contact Song for questioning regarding the bribery allegations.

But the former DP leader denied being aware of the alleged bribery campaign in the lead-up to the party convention in 2021.

“I was frantically attending a different event every 30 minutes. I was not in a position to personally take care of every affair in my leadership campaign at the time,” Song said.

Song added that he will depart for Seoul on Sunday to address the electioneering bribery scandal and subject himself to an investigation.

Prosecutors requested an arrest warrant for Kang Rae-gu, a member of the audit committee for the state water agency K-water who worked on Song’s party leadership campaign, but their request was denied by the Seoul Central District Court on Friday.

Kang is accused of collecting about 80 million won from various businesspeople that was allegedly handed out to party members in the cash envelopes, as well as of accepting a 3-million-won bribe from a businessman who sought business favors tied to K-water facilities.

Public support for the Democratic Party has fallen by four percentage points to 32 percent since the allegations became public, according to a poll conducted by Gallup Korea last week.

Although prosecutors have not disclosed the names of some 40 party members suspected of accepting bribes in the case, local media reports have said that at least 6 current DP lawmakers are being investigated.

Prosecutors on Wednesday raided the residences and offices of DP lawmakers Youn Kwan-suk and Lee Sung-man to investigate allegations that the pair were involved in distributing the money.

Bribery allegations against members of Song’s election campaign were first raised during a separate probe by prosecutors into Lee Jung-geun, who formerly served as the DP’s deputy secretary general.

Last month, Lee was handed a prison sentence of four years and six months on charges of receiving 940 million won in bribes and illegal political funds from a businessperson, only identified by the surname Park, between December 2019 and January last year.

Lee allegedly sought the money from Park in exchange for promises to lobby government officials and public institutions for business favors.

During their investigation into Lee, prosecutors uncovered phone recordings that suggested money allegedly raised by Kang was distributed to Democratic Party members via Lee and Song’s aides.

Lee was appointed deputy secretary general of the DP shortly after Song won the party leadership.

BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]