Prosecutors Secure Entry Records of 29 Lawmakers' Offices Including Song Young-gil and Yoon Kwan-seok Related to 'Money Envelope' Case

The prosecution investigating the '2021 Party Convention Money Envelope Suspicion' involving the Democratic Party of Korea is reported to have obtained National Assembly entry and exit records for a total of 29 lawmakers' offices, including those of incumbent members suspected of receiving money.

Former leader Song Young-gil, identified as the key suspect in the 2021 Democratic Party of Korea's party convention cash envelope scandal, voluntarily appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 2nd and is making a statement. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

According to the National Assembly and prosecution on the 6th, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-cheol) sent prosecutors and investigators to the National Assembly Secretariat the previous day to execute a search warrant to secure entry records of lawmakers related to the campaign of former party leader Song Young-gil during the 2021 party convention at the National Assembly Main Building and the Members' Office Building.

The prosecution reportedly requested records for a total of 29 lawmakers' offices. Among them were former leader Song Young-gil, identified as the ultimate beneficiary of the suspicion, and independent lawmakers Yoon Kwan-seok and Lee Sung-man, for whom arrest warrants were requested. Additionally, at least seven lawmakers from the metropolitan area, six from Honam, and two from the Chungcheong region were subject to the search. Of these, five to six are considered part of the so-called pro-Myung (pro-Lee Jae-myung) faction.

Based on recorded audio files and testimonies from related parties, the prosecution is investigating on the premise that on April 28-29, 2021, just before the party convention, Lawmaker Yoon delivered money envelopes containing 3 million won each to up to 20 incumbent lawmakers at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's small conference room in the National Assembly Main Building and the Members' Office Building. At that time, former leader Song was the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee.

Having narrowed down the recipients, the prosecution plans to cross-verify the involvement of the lawmakers by checking their movements by time using the National Assembly Secretariat's data. However, since the prosecution has specified a total of 20 money envelopes delivered to incumbent lawmakers, some of the targets may be cleared of suspicion during the verification process.

Earlier, at the end of last month, the prosecution presented a list of 17 lawmakers' offices to the National Assembly Secretariat and requested voluntary submission of related entry and exit records. However, the National Assembly Secretariat refused, stating, "Please follow formal procedures such as obtaining a search warrant." Previously, when the prosecution requested data for a small number of individuals with specific charges, the Secretariat cooperated for investigative purposes, but this time, since the request was for a large number of individuals without specifying the purpose, they could not comply.

Accordingly, the prosecution formally obtained a search warrant from the court and proceeded to execute the warrant at the National Assembly Secretariat's Parliamentary Security Office on the morning of the previous day.