"'Donbongtu' Song Young-gil refuses first prosecution investigation after arrest... Lawyer meeting"

Song Young-gil, the former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea who was identified as the central figure in the money envelope distribution allegations during the party convention, did not undergo his first investigation after being detained due to his refusal to cooperate.

Former leader of the Democratic Party, Song Young-gil, who was identified as the ultimate beneficiary of the Democratic Party cash envelope scandal, is holding a press conference as he appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 8th for his first summons investigation. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Choi Jae-hoon) notified Song, who is incarcerated at Seoul Detention Center, to appear for questioning starting at 2 p.m. on the 20th, but he did not comply. The specific reason for Song’s refusal to appear has not been confirmed. Instead of cooperating with the investigation, Song was scheduled to meet with his lawyer, Seon Jong-moon, that afternoon.

Prior to his detention, during the first summons by prosecutors on the 8th, Song also exercised his right to remain silent, stating that he could not trust the prosecution under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration.

The prosecution is expected to verify the exact reason for his absence and issue another summons accordingly.

Song is accused of being involved in distributing a total of 66.5 million KRW, including 20 envelopes of money intended for members of the National Assembly, to party lawmakers and regional headquarters chiefs during March to April 2021, ahead of the Democratic Party convention.

He is also charged with receiving illegal political funds totaling 763 million KRW from seven businesspeople through an external support organization called the "Peace and Livelihood Issues Research Institute (Meoksayeon)" between January 2020 and December 2021. Among these, the prosecution determined that 40 million KRW received from Park Yong-ha, former chairman of the Yeosu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in July to August 2021 was a bribe in exchange for lobbying related to the approval of an incineration facility.

The prosecution plans to intensify investigations into Song during his detention period, which lasts until June 6 at the latest, and accelerate inquiries into the involved lawmakers.