South Korea: Special counsel fails to secure PPP membership list in raid over ex-first lady's bribery allegations

Seoul, Aug 14 A special counsel team in South Korea left the main opposition People Power Party's (PPP) headquarters empty-handed on Thursday, after attempting to secure its membership list as part of an investigation into bribery allegations surrounding former first lady Kim Keon Hee.

Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team has been looking into allegations that a shaman linked to Kim and a key Unification Church official tried to get church members to join the party en masse to influence the results of the PPP's leadership race in 2023.

After attempting to carry out a search-and-seizure against the PPP's headquarters in Seoul on Wednesday, the team's investigators withdrew early the next morning due to strong refusal from the party, the team said in a press notice.

It said it had sought the PPP to voluntarily submit a roster of its members over a certain period of time, while denying that it had demanded the party's entire membership list.

The team appears to have sought to secure the roster to compare it with a list of Unification Church members to confirm the allegations about the mass sign-ups to the party.

The warrant reportedly detailed the need to check the party's membership list to confirm allegations of violations of the Political Funds Act and acceptance of bribes for mediation, reports Yonhap news agency.

The shaman, named Jeon Seong-bae, and the church official, surnamed Yoon, allegedly exchanged texts about then-President Yoon Suk Yeol's support for Rep. Kweon Seong-dong ahead of the party election in March 2023.

Kweon, who ultimately did not take part in the race, has denied receiving any political funds from the Unification Church. The church has also denied making any illegal donations to any specific individual.

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