Prosecutors Raid Hwang Unha's Office Over 'Unlawful Use of Party Membership List'... Hwang Unha Calls It "Excessive Investigation" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The prosecution, currently investigating allegations of improper use of party members' personal information during the Democratic Party's internal primary in Daejeon Jung-gu, conducted a search and seizure at the office of Hwang Unha, the elected member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

On the morning of the 24th, the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office sent prosecutors and investigators to Hwang's election office located in Yongdu-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon, to secure materials.

Although the prosecution did not specify the exact purpose of the search and seizure, it is known that they aimed to obtain related materials to verify whether Hwang's campaign improperly used the list of party members ahead of the April 13 general election Democratic Party primary.

Earlier, there were indications that the party member list was improperly leaked and utilized by Hwang's campaign during the Democratic Party's internal primary in Daejeon Jung-gu.

At that time, another Democratic Party preliminary candidate claimed, "Hwang Unha's campaign improperly obtained personal information of party members to solicit support," and filed a complaint with the prosecution.

On the day of the search and seizure, Hwang met with reporters at his election office in Yongdu-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon, stating, "If a complaint is filed, an investigation can be conducted, but I believe this case does not justify a search and seizure," calling the search an "excessive investigation" by the prosecution.

He added, "It is understood that the complaint was filed against those who helped our primary campaign," and explained, "This is a matter unrelated to me (the elected member)."

Furthermore, he said, "Although I do not know the details of the complaint, I was informed that it was a routine level of activity that could occur in all primary campaigns in our country," emphasizing, "Our campaign's position is that there is nothing problematic."

Hwang, who described this search and seizure as a "typical abuse of prosecutorial power," also said, "This is why prosecutorial reform is a task of the times," adding, "It does not seem surprising to me."

Separately, Hwang was indicted on charges including violation of the Public Official Election Act related to allegations of a Blue House-directed investigation and election interference that arose during his tenure as the Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency chief, and he had his first trial on the 23rd. If he is sentenced to a fine of 1 million won or more in this trial, he will lose his parliamentary seat.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.