Prosecutors conduct raids in South Gyeongsang for Myung Tae-kyun investigation

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Prosecutors conduct raids in South Gyeongsang for Myung Tae-kyun investigation

Published: 29 Nov. 2024, 16:10

Self-proclaimed political broker Myung Tae-kyun leaves the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office in South Gyeongsang after questioning on Nov. 8. [NEWS1]

Prosecutors investigating self-proclaimed political broker Myung Tae-kyun conducted simultaneous raids on Changwon City Hall and the South Gyeongsang provincial office on Friday.

According to the legal community, the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office began raiding Changwon City Hall at 9:30 a.m. The South Gyeongsang provincial office was searched at the same time.

Friday’s raids aimed to secure materials related to the Changwon National Industrial Complex, an area tied to allegations involving Myung.

Myung is a key figure in allegations involving the presidential couple’s alleged interference in the conservative People Power Party (PPP) by-election nominations and the Mirae Korea Research Institute's alleged illegal public opinion surveys.

Myung is accused of receiving about 76.2 million won ($54,000) from former PPP Rep. Kim Young-sun 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, Kang Hye-kyung, who suggested it was paid to secure the nomination.

Previously, Kang alleged that Myung summoned Changwon city officials to receive reports alongside Kim’s camp during the government’s selection process for the Changwon National Industrial Complex. Kang also claimed Myung had prior knowledge of the selection decision before its official announcement and shared the information with others, advising them to purchase land.

The Strategic Industry Division at Changwon City Hall and the Industrial Complex Policy Division at the South Gyeongsang provincial office are responsible for matters related to the designation of the Changwon National Industrial Complex. Prosecutors are reportedly seeking documents sent from the city to the province and then submitted to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for review.

Self-proclaimed political broker Myung Tae-kyun speaks to reporters upon his arrival at the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office in South Gyeongsang on Nov. 8. [NEWS1]

The liberal Democratic Party (DP) task force investigating Myung conducted an on-site investigation at a Changwon real estate office on Nov. 18 to probe allegations of Myung’s involvement in the industrial complex. The task force revealed that a family member of Myung’s acquaintance had purchased 10 parcels of land, totaling 6,431 square meters (1.59 acres), within the candidate area for the industrial complex.

The acquaintance’s family reportedly made their first purchase in July 2022, shortly after former Rep. Kim won the by-election for Changwon’s Uichang District in June. The second and final purchase was in February 2023, just before the government announced the site selection on March 15.

Earlier this month, prosecutors questioned three Changwon city officials regarding the matter.

When asked by reporters on Nov. 9 about allegations of his involvement in the Changwon National Industrial Complex, Myung denied the accusations.

"I proposed the idea, and I met with Changwon city officials three times to confirm its content,” said Myung. “But did it proceed exactly as I proposed? Is offering policy suggestions a wrongdoing?"

Prosecutors 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 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."

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]