Seoul Startup Cafe Cleared of Suspicion for 'Use as Democratic Party Election Office'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The Criminal Division 6 of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Jun-dong) announced on the 1st that it has cleared the youth startup camp operator and related parties, who were accused of using the Seoul Startup Cafe as an election office for the Democratic Party of Korea.

The prosecution decided on non-prosecution on the 29th of last month, judging that there was insufficient evidence to consider the allegations as a violation of the Public Official Election Act.

The Seoul Startup Cafe is a space that provides startup-related information, consulting, and education support to young people preparing to start a business, and branches are operated by companies commissioned by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Earlier, Kim Gyu-nam, a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council from the People Power Party, filed a complaint with the prosecution on the 21st of last month, stating, "Traces of election work, such as the Democratic Party's member list and support group accounting data, were found on a shared computer at the Yangcheon Sinjeong branch of the Seoul Startup Cafe."

Meanwhile, regarding the complaint, Councilor Kim filed a request for reconsideration in the afternoon of the same day. He stated, "The disposition was made without a complete analysis of decisive evidence, and considering the newly revealed circumstances of evidence destruction related to 'election campaigning,' I filed the request for reconsideration." The local prosecutor's office that accepted the request will forward the related documents and evidence to the competent High Prosecutors' Office within seven days, which will then send them to the competent High Court. The High Court will review the request confidentially within three months and, if it deems the request valid, will decide to prosecute.