People Power Party's 'Real Estate Suspicion' List Leak Including Yoon Hee-sook and 12 Others

In a private meeting, each explanation was heard
"It's premature to judge without internal verification just because the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced investigation results
We will ensure no lawmaker is unfairly treated"
Disciplinary measures for illegal transactions expected to be severe
Stronger sanctions mentioned than those during Lee Jun-seok's departure from the ruling party

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, is attending an emergency Supreme Council meeting related to the results of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission investigation held at the National Assembly on the 24th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] On the morning of the 24th, the People Power Party held an emergency Supreme Council meeting to discuss whether to disclose the list of lawmakers suspected of illegal real estate transactions raised by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, as well as the level of disciplinary action. The list reportedly includes lawmakers Kang Ki-yoon, Kim Seung-soo, Park Dae-soo, Bae Jun-young, Song Seok-jun, Ahn Byung-gil, Yoon Hee-sook, Lee Joo-hwan, Lee Cheol-gyu, Jung Chan-min, Choi Chun-sik, and Han Mu-kyung. If the party leadership follows through on their previous declarations, strong measures are expected. Although the People Power Party won the April 7 by-elections amid worsening public sentiment on real estate, the spotlight may now turn on the party itself. There is also concern that the backlash from the accused could escalate into internal party conflict.

During the Supreme Council meeting, each lawmaker suspected of illegal transactions was given the opportunity to explain themselves. The meeting was held behind closed doors due to concerns about exposing the identities of the lawmakers and was reportedly conducted via video conference. Attendees included Party Leader Lee Jun-seok, Floor Leader Kim Ki-hyun, and Supreme Council members Kim Jae-won, Bae Hyun-jin, and Cho Soo-jin.

The party atmosphere emphasizes that sufficient explanations must be provided to minimize backlash from the accused. This is especially important given the initial skepticism about the neutrality of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and the fact that the results were notified amid the party’s ongoing opposition to the Act on the Promotion of Media Arbitration and Damage Relief (Media Arbitration Act). A People Power Party official stated, "Just because the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced the investigation results, it is premature to judge any illegalities without an internal verification process," adding, "This is to ensure that no lawmaker is unfairly treated."

Kim Ki-hyun, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending an emergency Supreme Council meeting related to the results of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission investigation held at the National Assembly on the 24th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Even if some lawmakers are excluded after their explanations, the disciplinary measures related to the revealed illegal transaction suspicions are expected to be severe. Leader Lee has previously mentioned that the party would take stronger action compared to the Democratic Party, which demanded resignations from lawmakers in the same investigation. On the same day, People Power Party lawmaker Kim Woong appeared on a radio show and said, "In the Democratic Party, practically none of the ten lawmakers resigned," adding, "They basically did nothing, so I think our measures will definitely be stronger." However, since the People Power Party’s internal Ethics Committee has not yet been formed, there may be issues with the disciplinary process itself. According to the party’s constitution and regulations, disciplinary decisions made by the Ethics Committee are then forwarded to the Supreme Council.

Despite internal opposition, some view this as an unavoidable choice in the presidential election phase. The opposition, which won a landslide victory in the April 7 by-elections on the grounds of punishing the government for real estate policy failures, may face backlash in the presidential election if this issue is not properly resolved. Recently, most People Power Party lawmakers have been recruited into presidential candidates’ campaign teams, and some of them may be on the list. Supreme Council member Kim Jae-won said on the radio that "From the campaign’s perspective, if the party takes action, the campaign will likely take corresponding measures," adding, "The campaign might view this issue with even greater sensitivity."