“Prosecution Secures Data on 2022 Seoul Mayor’s Election Camp During Investigation of Money Envelopes”

The data was also confiscated one year later from the ‘jeondae money envelope’… Aiming at money transfers in Song local elections

Possible extension to last year’s local elections
Song’s “suspicion of money envelopes and separate issue” backlash

It was found on the 4th that the prosecution investigating the suspicion of’spreading money envelopes’ at the 2021 Democratic Party National Convention also secured data on the’2022 Seoul Mayor’s Election Camp’ during the seizure and search of former CEO Song Young-gil and others. While there is a prospect that the investigation may be expanded in the future, former CEO Song is protesting that it is a ‘separate investigation’. In summary, the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office’s Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 (Director Kim Young-cheol) is known to have secured accounting data and schedules prepared in 2022 during the recent seizure and search of the residences and offices of former CEO Song and those involved in the case. It is said that this included data related to accounting and cash receipts of candidate camps for the June 1st local elections. At the time, former CEO Song was running as the Democratic Party’s candidate for mayor of Seoul.

The suspicion of distributing money envelopes, which is currently being investigated by the prosecution, occurred before May 2021, when the party convention was held. As the prosecution has secured data a year later, there are cautious observations that the investigation may expand beyond the party convention to the primary and final elections for the Seoul mayoral election. It is said that the search warrant did not specify the production year of the seized materials.

Representative Song’s side is protesting. Attorney Seon Jong-moon argued in a phone call that “the prosecution randomly confiscated materials that were far from the case that occurred in 2021,” and that “it was virtually a separate investigation as it had nothing to do with the crimes listed on the warrant.” Opposition parties see the investigation into the money envelope as a ‘political planning investigation’. In the midst of this, if the prosecution’s investigation expands to local elections, opposition from the opposition is expected to grow stronger.

However, an official from the prosecution drew a line, saying, “It is difficult to confirm the confiscated items in detail, and there is no separate investigation.”

In the political world, there is also an analysis that the situation is completely different between the 2021 party convention, where money envelopes were scattered, and the local elections the following year. At the party convention, Song won a new victory over Rep. Hong Young-pyo by a margin of 0.59 percentage points. As a result, suspicions have arisen that he has handed out envelopes to incumbent lawmakers and delegates to secure approval ratings.

However, the election for the mayor of Seoul was conducted with 100% public opinion polls. In addition, Park Joo-min dropped out of the race, and the contest was held in two rounds between former representative Song and former lawmaker Jin-ae Kim, and former representative Song was relatively easily elected as a candidate. In addition, the prosecution is known to have stated in the search and seizure warrant regarding former CEO Song’s charges that he “formed a party representative primary camp and approved the provision of money and valuables to election campaign officials and voters.” However, it is said that the facts and timing that former CEO Song received or approved the related information were not specified.

The warrant is 11 pages of A4 paper, and it is said that the contents are generally similar to those of other suspects suspected of donating money envelopes, except for the contents of the former CEO Song’s ‘approval’. Prosecutors are coordinating the schedule of investigations into incumbent lawmakers involved in the distribution of money envelopes, including lawmakers Kwan-seok Yoon and Seong-man Lee. An official from the prosecution said, “In addition to investigating the donor of the money envelope, we are investigating to ascertain the circumstances, such as identifying the recipient.” Prosecutors also requested an arrest warrant for Kang Rae-gu, former head of the Korea Public Institution Audit Association, on the same day.

Reporters Kwak Jin-woong, Baek Min-kyung, and Kim So-hee