Reform Party office raid renews accusations of politicized special counsel probes

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Reform Party office raid renews accusations of politicized special counsel probes

Published: 28 Jul. 2025, 19:32

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Reform Party officials are seen inside party leader Lee Jun-seok's office at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on July 28. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

Just a day after Lee Jun-seok was elected leader of the Reform Party, his home and National Assembly office were raided by investigators from the Kim Keon Hee special counsel team, escalating political tensions and prompting accusations of politically motivated targeting.

On Monday, the special counsel team led by special prosecutor Min Joong-ki raided Lee’s home and parliamentary office in connection with allegations that he was involved in candidate nomination manipulation with suspected links to self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun, former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee ahead of the 2022 local elections.

Lee immediately pushed back, expressing displeasure in a Channel A YouTube interview, saying, “The timing is odd. The party convention just ended yesterday, and I was supposed to discuss leadership plans today. I wasn’t caught in the act or anything, so was it really necessary to conduct a raid now?”

“I hope the special counsel refrains from actions that invite suspicion,” Lee said.

Due to the raid, the Reform Party canceled a supreme council meeting that was scheduled to take place on Monday.

Reform Party floor leader Chun Ha-ram held an emergency press conference, calling the search “a media stunt and political humiliation, carried out with political motives on the first day of the new leadership’s term.”

Reform Party floor leader Chun Ha-ram speaks during a press conference on the special counsel raid against Rep. Lee Jun-seok at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on July 28. [NEWS1]

“It is clearly a threat to the National Assembly and will have the effect of intimidating the spirit of the Constitution that declares the separation of the legislative, judicial and executive branches,” Chun said.

Lee is under suspicion for allegedly colluding with Yoon and Kim in the 2022 local election nominations during his tenure as leader of the People Power Party (PPP). While he had previously been questioned as a witness by the Changwon District Prosecutors’ Office in February, this was the first time he was investigated as a suspect.

The widening special counsel investigation has left the conservative parties uneasy. To date, six sitting lawmakers have been subject to forced investigations. On Sunday, PPP Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun was questioned for about 15 hours over similar nomination allegations. He reportedly testified that Yoon Suk Yeol had personally requested the nomination of former lawmaker Kim Young-sun.

With lawmakers like Yoon Han-hong and Cho Eun-hee also being questioned as witnesses, the number of sitting legislators involved in the probe has risen to eight.

People Power Party Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun attends a questioning by the special counsel team investigating former first lady Kim Keon Hee at the counsel headquarters in Jongno District, central Seoul, on July 27. [NEWS1]

Amid weekly Friday raids, some PPP members have dubbed it “the Friday curse.” Recent examples include Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, investigated on July 18 over the so-called Geon Jin–Unification Church lobbying allegations, and Rep. Kim Sun-gyo, probed last Friday over the Yangpyeong expressway controversy.

Similar raids were conducted by the special counsel looking into the death of a marine against Reps. Lim Jong-deuk and Lee Chul-gyu, all on Fridays.

“The raids are taking place every Friday because that's when lawmakers go down to their districts to conduct local activities,” said PPP emergency leadership committee chair Song Eon-seog. “These are political raids.”

Although the current focus is on the Kim Keon Hee special counsel, other ongoing probes could implicate even more lawmakers. The special counsel investigating the death of a Marine who died in July 2023 amid nationwide floods is expected to question Rep. Joo Jin-woo, who reportedly spoke with the presidential office’s main phone line on the day of the “VIP outrage," which refers to allegations that former President Yoon shouted via phone at ministers to exert external pressure over then-ongoing investigations into the death of the Marine.

Investigators from the special counsel lead by special prosecutor Min Joong-ki raid Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok's residence in Nowon District, northern Seoul on July 28. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The martial law probe team may also summon former PPP floor leader Choo Kyung-ho, who spoke on the phone with Yoon Suk Yeol the day martial law was declared.

“With the party convention set for the end of August, and the special counsel hitting its peak, our party could be decimated,” said a PPP senior official.

Several lawmakers are reportedly already being considered targets of the ongoing investigations.

In a related development, Choi Ho, a former Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly member who was known as a “Kim Keon Hee pick” and ran for mayor of Pyeongtaek in 2022, was found dead on Monday. Choi had been questioned as a witness in April in connection with the nomination scandal.

Also on Monday, Rep. Kim Sun-gyo of the PPP said he will file a complaint over false accusations against the Democratic Party and other individuals whom he accused of leading “a low-grade, despicable political operation” against him in a press conference he held on Monday.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JANG SEO-YUN [[email protected]]