"Great Sense of Deprivation as Fellow Civic Groups"... Civic Groups Shower Yoon Mi-hyang with Accusations

The Rule of Law Restoration Action Alliance (Beopse Ryeon) is holding a press conference to accuse Yoon Mi-hyang, the elected member of the Democratic Party, in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 20th. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] "We never even imagined such things because we don't have money."

An official from a civic group active in Seoul lamented and expressed outrage over the controversy surrounding Yoon Mi-hyang, the elected member of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea (age 55), and the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeon), recently accused of embezzlement of donations and other suspicions.

Another civic group official hinted, "Many small and medium civic groups feel a sense of deprivation over the allegations that Jeonguiyeon, which has relatively ample funds, misused donations."

The anger of civic groups, who view Jeonguiyeon as a kind of partner in the same civic movement, is inevitably special. This situation is creating an atmosphere where civic groups are filing successive complaints.

According to the legal community on the 21st, at least five civic groups have recently filed complaints and petitions with the prosecution against Yoon and Jeonguiyeon, with the number of complaints and petitions exceeding ten. Civic groups are planning additional complaints, so this number is expected to increase further.

Lee Jong-bae, the representative of the "Action Alliance for Establishing the Rule of Law (Beopse-ryeon)," which filed a complaint against Yoon for violating the Telecommunications Business Act by spreading false information through media interviews and press releases the day before, said, "There are still more allegations to be filed, such as violations of the Donation Act," adding, "The charges we are internally reviewing against Yoon will probably number in the dozens once fully reported."

The Association of Judicial Exam Preparers (Sajunmo) also plans to review and file additional complaints with the prosecution if new allegations or suspicions arise through future media reports.

Civic groups are most outraged by the suspicion that Yoon used funds, which were poorly managed by Jeonguiyeon, for personal purposes.

Yoon is suspected of purchasing an auctioned apartment and sending her children to study in the United States using national subsidies and donations received by Jeonguiyeon from various sectors. Civic groups find this particularly reprehensible.

Kwon Min-sik, the head of Sajunmo, said in a phone interview, "If a civic group receives national subsidies and deals with socially and nationally important issues, it should have acted with greater responsibility and not engaged in such conduct."

In response to the active complaints from civic groups, the prosecution has also begun to take action. The Criminal Division 4 of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Choi Ji-seok) conducted a 12-hour search and seizure on the 20th and 21st at the Jeonguiyeon office located in Seongsan-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, and at the War and Women's Human Rights Museum, the address of the Council for the Issue of Military Comfort Women (Jeongdaehyeop). This marks the start of a full-scale forced investigation into Yoon and Jeonguiyeon.

The prosecution is reported to have secured materials related to Yoon's embezzlement and breach of trust involving donations through this search and seizure. After reviewing these materials, they plan to summon related parties for investigation soon. Civic groups are also coordinating schedules to be summoned as complainants for questioning.