First lady special counsel leaves PPP HQ after 15-hour standoff

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First lady special counsel leaves PPP HQ after 15-hour standoff

Published: 14 Aug. 2025, 17:23 Updated: 14 Aug. 2025, 19:56

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

People Power Party (PPP) Reps. Na Kyung-won, left, and Kweon Seong-dong, right, shake hands during an emergency general meeting of lawmakers held at the PPP headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Aug. 14. [YONHAP]

The special counsel team investigating former first lady Kim Keon Hee, led by special counsel Min Joong-ki, withdrew from the People Power Party’s (PPP) headquarters in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, at around 12:40 a.m. Thursday after a 15-hour standoff.

The team entered the building at around 10 a.m. Wednesday after presenting a search warrant. The warrant was issued as part of an investigation into allegations that the Unification Church provided 100 million won ($72,200) to Rep. Kweon Seong-dong in January 2022 for the presidential election, and later supported a party leadership campaign at the end of that year.

A special counsel team member said the warrant would be executed again on Aug. 18 after discussions with the party.

The discussions are expected to be held with Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig, who was appointed secretary general of the party on July 3. Jeong, a former prosecutor, was appointed at the first meeting of the party’s emergency leadership committee.

The PPP held an emergency general meeting of its lawmakers at 10 a.m. Thursday at its headquarters to discuss the raid. Party chair candidate Kim Moon-soo began an open-ended sit-in on the first floor of the building at around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, opposing the search being so close to the party convention scheduled for Aug. 22.

“This lawless special counsel is carrying out a search during the party convention period,” Kim said. “It is a vicious act to annihilate the opposition party and a serious challenge to the Constitution that protects political parties.”

The stated purpose of the search was to obtain part of the party’s membership list, but not the entire roster.

People Power Party (PPP) chair candidate Kim Moon-soo, center, attends a rally at the PPP headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Aug. 14. [KIM SEONG-RYONG]

“We are seeking to secure the membership status of certain members within a specific time frame to the minimum extent necessary,” the special counsel said.

The counsel is seeking to compare part of the party’s membership list with a list of Unification Church members in order to investigate allegations that large numbers of church members joined the party starting in December 2022 ahead of the 2023 party convention.

The charges listed in the warrant included violations of the Political Funds Act and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes related to bribery. Before the case was handed over to the special counsel, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office had also been looking into whether Unification Church members with no intention of joining were forcibly admitted to the party, in violation of Articles 49 and 42 of the Political Parties Act.

Former Unification Church World Headquarters head Yoon Young-ho, 48, who is in custody, is accused of conspiring with shaman Jeon Seong-bae, 64, also known as Geon Jin, to collect party membership application forms through the Universal Peace Federation, an affiliate of the church, and enroll church members into the PPP.

Former Unification Church World Headquarters head Yoon Young-ho walks out of Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, after attending a questioning on July 30. [NEWS1]

The alleged mass membership drive at the church level is also said to have been captured in text messages between Yoon and Jeon.

In November 2022, Yoon allegedly asked Jeon, “What exactly is the intent of Yoon Suk Yeol, and how many members are needed for the party convention?” to which Jeon replied, “Yoon Suk Yeol’s intent remains firmly Kweon [Seong-dong].”

In January 2023, after Kweon announced he would not run in the party convention, Yoon Young-ho allegedly texted Jeon, “We went to great lengths, but it’s a loss.”

The church headquarters chief was detained on July 30 on charges including delivering 100 million won ($72,000) to Kweon on Jan. 5, 2022, ahead of the presidential election.

That day, Yoon Young-ho had breakfast with Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, then met Kweon at a location in Yeouido, western Seoul, for lunch and told him, “It’s not much, but please use it well for yourself.” The special counsel team also obtained the church headquarters chief's diary entry from that date, reading “one big 1 note of support,” meaning 100 million won.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SON SUNG-BAE, LEE CHAN-KYU, CHOI SEO-IN [[email protected]]