Latest news with #KimYoung-sun
Korea Herald
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Special counsel raids police, lawmakers in ex-first lady probe
A special counsel team raided the national police agency as well as the offices and homes of current and former lawmakers Tuesday as part of its investigation into corruption allegations involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee, legal sources said. In a statement to the media, the team said it was executing a search warrant at the Korean National Police Agency to obtain relevant materials in cooperation with the agency. The team also dispatched prosecutors to a police station in Chuncheon, about 75 kilometers northeast of Seoul, to carry out search and seizure operations to secure investigation records related to alleged overseas gambling by Unification Church leadership. The investigation appears to focus on allegations that the Unification Church, after learning of a police probe, lobbied influential figures close to former President Yoon Suk Yeol in an attempt to derail the investigation. In June 2022, Chuncheon Police Station launched an investigation into suspicions that church leader Han Hak-ja and senior executives gambled about 60 billion won (US$44 million) at casinos in Las Vegas between 2008 and 2011. The church allegedly obtained information about the investigation, and suspicions have since emerged that the probe was quashed with the help of "pro-Yoon" figures. The special counsel is expected to investigate whether the church was aware of the police probe and whether it engaged in lobbying efforts to obstruct it. Earlier in the day, the team searched the office and home of main opposition People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun in Seoul, as well as the home of former PPP Rep. Kim Young-sun in the southeastern city of Changwon, the sources said. In addition, investigators were searching the home of former prosecutor Kim Sang-min, they said. The raids are part of special counsel Min Joong-ki's investigation into allegations the former first lady, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, meddled in the PPP's nomination of candidates for the 2022 parliamentary by-elections and 2024 general elections. In the case of the 2022 elections, the former president has also been suspected of involvement. In a previously disclosed phone call, allegedly recorded in May 2022, Yoon suggested to self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun that he would instruct Rep. Yoon to make sure Kim Young-sun wins the party's nomination for a district in the 2022 parliamentary by-elections. Meanwhile, in the case of the 2024 general elections, the former first lady is suspected of having tried to get the former prosecutor nominated for the district previously won by Kim Young-sun. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Acting president vetoes bill on special counsel probe into Yoon over election influence-peddling
Acting President Choi Sang-mok on Friday demanded the National Assembly reconsider an opposition-led bill calling for a special counsel probe into President Yoon Suk Yeol over an alleged influence-peddling scandal linked to the 2022 parliamentary by-elections. The bill, passed by the Democratic Party-controlled parliament on Feb. 27, seeks an investigation into allegations that Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, received approximately 76 million won ($52,300) from former ruling party lawmaker Kim Young-sun in exchange for helping secure her nomination in the by-elections. The special counsel would also investigate allegations that Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee were involved in the nomination process for both the 2022 local elections and last year's parliamentary elections. "The scope of the investigation is excessively broad and lacks clarity, raising concerns about potential violations of the constitutional principles of precision and proportionality," Choi said while presiding over an extraordinary Cabinet meeting. Myung allegedly secured Kim Young-sun's nomination in return for conducting public opinion polls favorable to Yoon ahead of the 2022 presidential election. Both Myung and the former People Power Party lawmaker, Kim Young-sun, have already been indicted. "In a situation where a prosecution investigation is gaining momentum, introducing a special counsel probe goes against the fundamental purpose of the special prosecutor system," Choi added. Choi urged the prosecution to take the matter seriously, seemingly addressing opposition parties' accusations that the prosecution was downplaying the case. "The prosecution must stake its credibility on this investigation and conduct a swift and impartial inquiry into the relevant allegations without providing anyone any sanctuary," Choi said. It marks the eighth time Choi has exercised veto power since assuming interim leadership in December, including a special counsel probe bill into Yoon over his imposition of martial law. The Democratic Party has intensified its criticism of Choi, accusing him of repeatedly using his veto authority to block key opposition-led bills. Typically, motions of this nature are approved during Cabinet meetings chaired by the prime minister and then sent to the president for endorsement before being returned to the National Assembly for a revote. (Yonhap)
