Prosecutors Conduct Search and Seizure on Opposition Lawmaker... Will the Democratic Party Launch a Defensive Battle?

Prosecutors' Investigation Net Extends to Yeo Lawmaker
Will the Party Shift from 'Protecting Lee' to Full-Scale Defense?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The prosecution's investigation net is extending from close aides of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, to party lawmakers. On the 16th, Representative Noh Woong-rae, whose office was raided by the prosecution, strongly opposed, calling it a "signal flare of opposition lawmaker suppression." The party leadership has been defending him daily, claiming that a 'fabricated investigation' is underway.

Noh Woong-rae: "The Prosecution Will Eventually Target Moon Jae-in and Lee Jae-myung"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 17th, the day after the prosecution's raid, Representative Noh held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office, stating, "I have never met Park, whom the prosecution named as the bribe giver." He further criticized, "The office raid conducted by Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol and Han Dong-hoon is political retaliation and a planned, fabricated investigation solely because I am an opposition lawmaker."

The previous afternoon, the prosecution raided Representative Noh's offices in the National Assembly Members' Office Building and his Mapo District constituency office on charges including bribery and violation of the Political Funds Act, securing related materials. Representative Noh is suspected of receiving 60 million won along with a request from businessman Park, who allegedly provided money to Lee Jung-geun, former Deputy Secretary-General of the Democratic Party, in exchange for a favor.

On that day, Representative Noh emphasized that he does not know Park and that there is no work-related connection between the alleged request and his legislative activities. He said, "I only met the wife of that person a few times at a volunteer organization, but I do not even know the face of Park, who supposedly gave me money." He also stated, "According to the search warrant, it is claimed that I received money in exchange for facilitating solar power projects, but I was a member of the Environment and Labor Committee, which has nothing to do with solar power," adding, "I cannot help but suspect that this is an attempt to hold the previous administration accountable for corruption."

Representative Noh predicted that this raid would be the beginning of investigations into other Democratic Party lawmakers. He also said that the prosecution would eventually pressure former President Moon Jae-in and party leader Lee Jae-myung. He condemned, "The prosecution under Yoon Seok-yeol and Han Dong-hoon will start with me and then move on to former President Moon and Leader Lee. This is clear political retaliation and suppression of the opposition."

Opposition: "Cannot Erase Suspicions of Fabricated Investigation"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The party also responded. On the same day, spokesperson Lim Oh-kyung issued a statement criticizing, "The suspect was not even mentioned in the indictment, and there was no physical evidence. However, the prosecution conducted an unreasonable raid based solely on the suspect's testimony." She added, "The charges against Representative Noh fall under the jurisdiction of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, but the prosecution did not notify us, citing a different interpretation of 'case recognition.'"

Spokesperson Lim said, "We cannot erase suspicions of political, planned, and fabricated investigations. The Democratic Party will not yield to the prosecution's targeted, planned, and fabricated investigations and will represent public opinion to fight against the Yoon Seok-yeol administration."

However, the party's Prosecution Dictatorship Political Suppression Countermeasures Committee showed a somewhat passive stance, saying, "We need to observe the response more closely." This appears to be because the party needs to decide whether to respond at the party level to individual lawmakers as well. When asked about the raid on Representative Noh during a press conference criticizing the prosecution's warrant request for Jeong Jin-sang, Director of Political Coordination, the committee explained, "Since this happened suddenly and unexpectedly in the middle of the night, we need to look into it." However, they left open the possibility of a full-scale response, saying, "Given the prosecution's bad behavior so far, there is a strong suspicion that this is a fabricated investigation."

"Protecting Lee Jae-myung?" Will They Launch an All-Out Defense?

The possibility of a broad investigation into party lawmakers starting with Representative Noh has increased. Since the prosecution's investigation began last month, there have been predictions within the party that "the prosecution will start with Lee's close aides and then attack not only Leader Lee but also former President Moon and eventually party lawmakers." Therefore, if the number of investigation targets increases, it is expected to become a party issue whether the leadership will focus solely on "protecting Leader Lee" or mount an all-out defense at the party level.

Some within the party have already criticized the leadership for focusing only on defending Leader Lee. A senior lawmaker said, "Everyone anticipated the judicial risks, but there is much dissatisfaction about whether the party should respond so strongly," adding, "There is growing concern about the party becoming a personal faction."

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