Special Prosecutor's Team and People Power Party Remain at Odds Over Search and Seizure
Party Cites "Unconstitutional Excess";
Investigation Focuses on Unification Church Members' Party Enrollment
Kim Keonhee and Lee Jongho to Be Questioned Separately
The special prosecutor's team led by Min Jungki, which is investigating allegations that members of the Unification Church joined the People Power Party, has still not reached an agreement regarding the search and seizure of the party headquarters to verify the party membership list. The special prosecutor's team maintains that the Central Party Office should comply with the search and seizure and submit the party membership list, while the People Power Party continues to insist that cooperation is not possible.
Song Eonseok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman and Floor Leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at a press briefing on current issues held at the Central Party Office in Yeouido, Seoul on August 20, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin
On the afternoon of August 20, Deputy Special Prosecutor Oh Jeonghee stated at a regular briefing regarding the search and seizure of the People Power Party, "There has been no agreement," and added, "We are still reviewing how to proceed in the future." The search and seizure warrant for the People Power Party, issued by the court, expires on this day.
Deputy Special Prosecutor Oh explained, "The facts of the crime stated in the warrant include matters related to Unification Church-led projects," and added, "The court had authorized the method of comparing and cross-checking the People Power Party membership list with the Unification Church member list as part of the search and seizure."
The special prosecutor's team believes it is necessary to verify whether certain individuals joined the party, as part of their investigation into allegations that a large number of Unification Church members joined the People Power Party ahead of the 2023 party leadership election. To this end, the team visited the party headquarters twice, on August 13 and 18, to request cooperation in cross-checking the Unification Church member list with the People Power Party membership list, but the attempts failed due to opposition from the party. Song Eonseok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, claimed on this day that it was an "extralegal and unconstitutional excessive investigation" and insisted, "We will never tolerate attempts to seize personal information."
The special prosecutor's team is also investigating circumstances in which Jeon Seongbae, known as Geonjin Beopsa, and Yoon, a key Unification Church executive, allegedly attempted to have Unification Church members join the People Power Party as members to support Assemblyman Kwon Seongdong in the March 2023 party leadership election.
Meanwhile, the special prosecutor's team plans to summon Mrs. Kim, who is currently in custody, for questioning at 2 p.m. on August 21. On the same morning, Lee Jongho, former CEO of Black Pearl Invest and known as a close aide to Kim Keonhee, will also be questioned as a witness regarding allegations of Mrs. Kim's involvement in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case. However, the special prosecutor's team has confirmed that a face-to-face interrogation is not planned.
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