Song Young-gil’s former aide arrested for the envelopes of cash in the Democratic Party

Song Young-gil, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea who is suspected of handing out envelopes of cash (illegal political funds) at the time of the party convention, engages in a one-man demonstration after the prosecutors refused to question him on his second voluntary visit to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on June 7. Jo Tae-hyeong

On July 3, Park, the former aide to former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea Song Young-gil, was arrested for his involvement in the distribution of envelopes of cash at the time of the party convention.

In a review of the arrest warrant (suspect questioning prior to arrest) on Monday, Yu Chang-hun, the chief judge overseeing warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, recognized the risk of Park destroying evidence and issued the arrest warrant.

To get Song elected as the Democratic Party leader in the party convention in May 2021, Park is suspected of receiving 50 million won from funds for Song’s campaign office and handing 60 million won, including the 50 million from Song’s camp, to lawmaker Youn Kwan-suk (violation of the Political Parties Act and the Political Funds Act), so that the lawmaker could hand out the money to the party’s lawmakers. Park was also accused of paying the election strategy consulting firm, Yamjeonhan Goyangi, 92.4 million won for surveys in May-October 2020 with funds from the Research Institute for Peace & Livelihood (violation of the Political Funds Act and the Act on Regulation and Punishment of Criminal Proceeds Concealment).

Park allegedly ordered the secretary-general of the Research Institute for Peace & Livelihood to replace the office computer hard disc (instigation of destruction of evidence) to prevent authorities from discovering files on Song’s campaign last November. Prosecutors believe that Park oversaw all the business in Song Young-gil’s campaign and was deeply involved in the distribution of cash envelopes.

Now that the prosecutors have arrested Park, they are expected to focus their investigation on any involvement of Song, the man at the top. Song denied all allegations and has been asking the prosecutors to question him as soon as possible.

The prosecutors are expected to summon nearly twenty Democratic Party lawmakers they identified as recipients of the envelopes. They believe Youn handed twenty envelopes, each holding three million won in cash, to Democratic Party lawmakers. The prosecutors confirmed their activities and movements by the National Assembly entrance and exit log, which they secured in a search and seizure of the National Assembly Secretariat.

Park is the second person to be arrested in connection with the envelopes of cash. The court issued an arrest warrant for Kang Rae-gu, former chairman of the Institute of Internal Auditors Korea, after rejecting the first request by the prosecutors. Kang was arrested and is scheduled to stand trial. A motion for the arrests of legislators Youn Kwan-suk and Lee Sung-man was rejected in the National Assembly.