Prosecutors raid ruling party offices on election interference probe

Prosecutors on Wednesday raided the ruling People Power Party headquarters and its offices in western Seoul as part of an inquiry into claims that a self-proclaimed power broker interfered in the conservative party’s 2022 by-election candidate nominations.

The Changwon District Prosecutors' Office conducted a search and seizure based on the allegations that Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, received around 76 million won ($54,400) from former People Power Party Rep. Kim Young-sun to help her get nominated for the June 2022 by-elections. News reports have claimed that President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee asked Myung to help Kim get nominated at the time.

Prosecutors first raided the ruling party headquarters located in a building near the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, in the morning. They later arrived at the Assembly to search for and seize evidence from the party’s planning and coordination bureau and at other key offices located within the Assembly building.

People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon said that the party plans to cooperate with the prosecution “within the boundaries of the (search) warrant.”

“I have received reports of the raid and also that the (search) warrant issued today means that we will cooperate both according to the law and within the boundaries of the warrant under the understanding that it will not harm the essence of our political activities,” he told reporters after an intra-party debate at the Assembly.

The party had previously refused to provide documents requested by the prosecutors, which led to the authorities filing for and executing a search warrant, according to local reports.

In a separate case, Myung has been accused of fabricating the results of public opinion surveys to favor Yoon ahead of the 2022 presidential election.