People Power Party Committee Members Deprived of Speaking Rights
Say They Are Considering Criminal Charges Against Choo Mi-ae
On September 22, members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea intensively questioned whether the prosecution had deliberately destroyed evidence regarding the loss of the 'Kwanbongkwon band' in the Geonjin Beopsa case during a legislative hearing on prosecution reform.
The National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee held a full meeting that day and conducted a legislative hearing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Kwanbongkwon band incident. This session took place about two weeks after the prosecution reform legislative hearing held by the Bill Review Subcommittee No. 1 on September 5.
Previously, the prosecution had announced that it lost the Kwanbongkwon band from a bundle of cash seized during a search of Jeon Seongbae’s residence, who is known as Geonjin Beopsa, on suspicion of illegal political fundraising. The Kwanbongkwon band contained information such as the inspection date, the person in charge, and the department, which led to controversy over possible destruction of evidence.
Seo Youngkyo, a Democratic Party lawmaker, argued, "Since Geonjin Beopsa and Kim Keonhee were close, the seized cash bundles could have come from either Yoon Sukyeol or Kim Keonhee. The fact that this band disappeared suggests that the prosecution systematically covered it up, which is why this hearing is being held."
In response, Choi Jaehyun, the prosecutor in charge from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, explained, "There are suggestions that the prosecution intentionally destroyed the Kwanbongkwon band evidence, but this is not true. During the process of comparing the seized items, the band came undone and was transferred to the custody office."
Jeon Hyunhee, another Democratic Party lawmaker, criticized, "Even though the importance of the Kwanbongkwon band was recognized, there was no instruction on the seizure report to preserve its original form, and when the loss of the band was noticed, there was no immediate report to superiors or any countermeasures. This indicates a serious problem within the prosecution."
On the other hand, Kwak Gyutaek, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, referred to the response of Byun Minseon, Senior Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Anti-Corruption Investigation Division, stating, "The Kwanbongkwon band used for packaging new bills only indicates the Bank of Korea and the 50,000 won denomination," and argued, "No further information can be obtained from the band."
Meanwhile, members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the People Power Party held a press conference during a committee recess, raising concerns over what they described as the Democratic Party’s unilateral handling of the meeting. Earlier that morning, the committee was disrupted when People Power Party members clashed over a sign on their laptops reading, 'Political manipulation, fake news factory Democratic Party!' Chu Mi-ae, the committee chair, ordered the expulsion of People Power Party lawmakers Na Kyungwon, Song Seokjun, and Cho Baesook, citing violations of National Assembly rules. However, the expelled lawmakers refused to leave and demanded the opportunity to speak on procedural matters.
Assemblywoman Na referenced the deprivation of speaking rights for the three committee members and stated, "In short, this is an attempt to silence People Power Party lawmakers," adding, "We are seriously considering filing criminal charges against Chair Chu for undermining democracy." She further pointed out, "The Democratic Party is calling in lawyers related to the Daejang-dong case and North Korea remittances to turn this hearing into an attempt to overturn the verdict against President Lee Jaemyung. This goes against the purpose of the hearing."
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