Parties should avoid head-on collisions
Political tensions are escalating as prosecutors gear up to investigate a "slush fund" allegedly spent on main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Lee Jae-myung's presidential campaign. Prosecutors raided the DPK's headquarters Thursday to seize evidence of the illicit money, but to no avail due to fierce resistance from party members. The DPK threatened to quit the ongoing National Assembly audit of state affairs to protest the search attempt.
On Friday, prosecutors sought arrest warrants for Kim Yong, deputy head of the DPK's think tank, the Institute for Democracy, on charges of violating the election campaign fund act. Prosecutors suspect Kim illegally received 847 million won ($588,700) from lawyer Nam Wook and other companies in the Wirye and Daejang-dong land development projects in Seongnam city, Gyeonggi Province, to help Lee's presidential campaign.
In response, Lee called for the introduction of a special attorney for investigations into the Daejang-dong project. During a press conference on Friday, Lee cited the need for the future probes to cover alleged irregularities surrounding President Yoon Suk-yeol as well as the real estate development project. He said that the prosecution is engaging in political suppression to "annihilate the opposition party and refute its existence." Lee reiterated his earlier stance that he "didn't receive a penny." Despite Lee's denial, the prosecution believes that lawyer Nam gave the money to Kim between April and August last year, just ahead of the DPK's primary race.
Kim is regarded as one of the closest confidants of Lee. Given this, the bipartisan standoff is intensifying. The DPK is demanding that the prosecution stop its attempt to search the party's headquarters and for Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok to step down. It vowed to suspend the Assembly audit unless its demands are met. The prosecution, for its part, issued a statement to refute the DPK's assertion that it is carrying out a political vendetta. "It is infringing upon the law-based principle (for the DPK) to deter the implementation of properly issued arrest warrants."
The DPK will likely leave no stone unturned as it sees the prosecution's investigations as eventually targeting Lee and former President Moon Jae-in. The ruling People Power Party criticized the DPK for attempting to interrupt the Assembly audit. President Yoon Suk-yeol also denied the DPK's allegation that the investigation is politically motivated. "People should know well whether such a claim of political intention is justifiable or not," he told reporters on his way to work, Thursday.
Prosecutors should double down and dig up the truth to determine whether the fund was actually used in Lee's campaign and if he played a major role. The DPK should let the prosecutors get to the bottom of the various suspicions. But also, Yoon and the PPP should refrain from exploiting the probes as a chance to turn the political situation in their favor amid the president's dismal approval ratings.
Currently, the nation is facing grave security and economic challenges due to, for instance, North Korea's frequent military provocations, even indicating a possible seventh nuclear weapons test. Concerns are also growing over the possible advent of another financial crisis in light of increasing downside risks clouding the national economy. The political parties should not go too far to the extent of driving the nation into further hardship by pressing for life-or-death confrontations.
Political tensions are escalating as prosecutors gear up to investigate a "slush fund" allegedly spent on main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Lee Jae-myung's presidential campaign. Prosecutors raided the DPK's headquarters Thursday to seize evidence of the illicit money, but to no avail due to fierce resistance from party members. The DPK threatened to quit the ongoing National Assembly audit of state affairs to protest the search attempt.
On Friday, prosecutors sought arrest warrants for Kim Yong, deputy head of the DPK's think tank, the Institute for Democracy, on charges of violating the election campaign fund act. Prosecutors suspect Kim illegally received 847 million won ($588,700) from lawyer Nam Wook and other companies in the Wirye and Daejang-dong land development projects in Seongnam city, Gyeonggi Province, to help Lee's presidential campaign.
In response, Lee called for the introduction of a special attorney for investigations into the Daejang-dong project. During a press conference on Friday, Lee cited the need for the future probes to cover alleged irregularities surrounding President Yoon Suk-yeol as well as the real estate development project. He said that the prosecution is engaging in political suppression to "annihilate the opposition party and refute its existence." Lee reiterated his earlier stance that he "didn't receive a penny." Despite Lee's denial, the prosecution believes that lawyer Nam gave the money to Kim between April and August last year, just ahead of the DPK's primary race.
Kim is regarded as one of the closest confidants of Lee. Given this, the bipartisan standoff is intensifying. The DPK is demanding that the prosecution stop its attempt to search the party's headquarters and for Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok to step down. It vowed to suspend the Assembly audit unless its demands are met. The prosecution, for its part, issued a statement to refute the DPK's assertion that it is carrying out a political vendetta. "It is infringing upon the law-based principle (for the DPK) to deter the implementation of properly issued arrest warrants."
The DPK will likely leave no stone unturned as it sees the prosecution's investigations as eventually targeting Lee and former President Moon Jae-in. The ruling People Power Party criticized the DPK for attempting to interrupt the Assembly audit. President Yoon Suk-yeol also denied the DPK's allegation that the investigation is politically motivated. "People should know well whether such a claim of political intention is justifiable or not," he told reporters on his way to work, Thursday.
Prosecutors should double down and dig up the truth to determine whether the fund was actually used in Lee's campaign and if he played a major role. The DPK should let the prosecutors get to the bottom of the various suspicions. But also, Yoon and the PPP should refrain from exploiting the probes as a chance to turn the political situation in their favor amid the president's dismal approval ratings.
Currently, the nation is facing grave security and economic challenges due to, for instance, North Korea's frequent military provocations, even indicating a possible seventh nuclear weapons test. Concerns are also growing over the possible advent of another financial crisis in light of increasing downside risks clouding the national economy. The political parties should not go too far to the extent of driving the nation into further hardship by pressing for life-or-death confrontations.
