Prosecutors raid PPP headquarters in alleged election interference investigation

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Prosecutors raid PPP headquarters in alleged election interference investigation

Published: 27 Nov. 2024, 11:57 Updated: 27 Nov. 2024, 17:14

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Prosecutors leave the People Power Party headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, after attempting a search and seizure on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Prosecutors raided the conservative People Power Party (PPP) headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Wednesday as part of an investigation into alleged election interference of self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun.

The Changwon District Prosecutors' Office conducted the raid in connection with allegations that former PPP Rep. Kim Young-sun bribed Myung. The broker is under investigation for violating political funding laws by interfering in the PPP’s by-election nomination process to favor Kim and others.

Prosecutors raided the organizational bureau of the headquarters related to the nomination process.

Prosecutors raided the party's planning and coordination bureau as well. The bureau, also related to the nomination process, is located separately in the National Assembly Building in Yeouido, western Seoul.

Although prosecutors had reportedly requested documents related to the investigation from the PPP, the party refused, citing confidentiality and demanding a search and seizure warrant.

Prosecutors leave the People Power Party (PPP) headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, after attempting a search and seizure on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

"There is a line that public authority must not cross when dealing with political parties,” said Kim Sang-wook, deputy floor leader of the PPP.

“However, given the public suspicion and the fact that, as the ruling party, we cannot afford to be perceived as receiving favorable treatment from the prosecution, we fully support a fair and lawful investigation."

During their investigation, prosecutors discovered that Myung allegedly received about 76.2 million won ($54,000) from former Rep. Kim in exchange for securing her nomination in the 2022 by-election. This sum is lower than the 90 million won claimed by Kim’s accounting manager, who suggested it was paid to secure the nomination.

Prosecutors leave the People Power Party (PPP) headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, after attempting a search and seizure on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Two other individuals are said to have paid Myung around 120 million won each in late 2021 to secure their own nominations in the local elections. Prosecutors believe the funds were funneled through a polling agency reportedly operated by Myung to conduct a presidential poll in March 2022.

Prosecutors also presented evidence of KakaoTalk messages Myung sent to President Yoon Suk Yeol on May 9, 2022, when Yoon was president-elect, asking for Kim’s nomination.

In the messages, Myung said he had contacted Yoon because then-PPP leader Lee Jun-seok had informed him that Kim should run. Yoon later called Myung, confirming he had advised the nomination committee to select Kim, though he noted there was "a lot of talk within the party."

Prosecutors raid the People Power Party (PPP) office in the National Assembly Building in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

The conversation was released by the liberal Democratic Party on Oct. 31, claiming it was evidence of illegal interference in the party’s nomination process for the 2022 local elections.

On Nov. 11, prosecutors requested arrest warrants for Myung and three others, including former Rep. Kim and two other politicians who ran in the 2022 local elections in Daegu and Goryeong County, North Gyeongsang.

The arrest warrant for Myung, obtained by the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, on Nov. 12, describes him as “engaging in political activities as if he were a sitting lawmaker” and “interfering in the nomination process despite being an ordinary citizen.”

Update, Nov. 27: Added quote by Kim Sang-wook
Update, Nov. 27: Added details of the search and seizure in the National Assembly Building

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]