Song Young-gil's 'Money Envelope' Awareness and Direct Involvement Indications... Prosecution Accelerates Investigation of Givers and Receivers

Lee Jeong-geun Recording File 'Call' and General 'Conversation'
Likely to Summon Specific Provider and Recipient
Former Representative Song Young-gil to Announce Position on 22nd

Song Young-gil, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.
Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Former Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil, who had dismissed the party's 'money envelope' scandal as a personal misconduct by former party secretary-general Lee Jung-geun, is now facing a swift prosecution investigation as evidence emerges that he was either informed about or directly involved in the distribution of the money envelopes.

The prosecution, having already identified the donors involved in handing out the money envelopes, plans to identify the recipients and proceed with full-scale investigations including raids and summonses.

According to legal circles on the 19th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 (Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-chul), which has been investigating the case focusing on nine donors involved in the distribution during the 2021 Democratic Party leadership election, is currently verifying the recipients, including Democratic Party lawmakers who received the money envelopes.

According to search warrants for Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Kwan-seok and others, Yoon, former Secretary-General Lee, Kang Rae-gu, president of the Korea Audit Association, and others delivered a total of 60 million KRW to Democratic Party lawmakers in two installments of 30 million KRW each around April 28, 2021, when the party leader primary voting schedule began. Additionally, around late April of the same year, 2 million KRW was distributed, with 50,000 KRW each to 40 people, including 20 regional situation room chiefs and 20 situation room chiefs working in former leader Song's primary campaign. Prior to that, between late March and April 10 of the same year, 14 million KRW was delivered to more than 10 regional headquarters chiefs.

On the 16th, the prosecution first summoned and investigated President Kang, and the day before, summoned former Secretary-General Lee, who is currently detained, for questioning. Based on related audio recordings obtained through forensic analysis of Lee's mobile phone and seized materials such as work logs and schedules recently obtained from lawmaker Yoon's constituency office and residence, the prosecution is reportedly pressing Lee to identify the recipients who received the money envelopes at the time. Although Lee denied some reports through his lawyer that he was cooperating with the prosecution investigation, sources close to the prosecution say he has begun to speak about the charges revealed through call recordings during the actual investigation.

Meanwhile, among the audio files secured by the prosecution, there are not only automatically recorded phone call recordings of former Secretary-General Lee but also a considerable number of general voice recordings of Lee meeting or conversing with someone or holding meetings. It appears that Lee recorded these files at some point to protect himself, and with the unknown contents of these recordings, it seems difficult for former leader Song and other Democratic Party affiliates to respond to the prosecution's investigation.

Furthermore, the call recording between former Secretary-General Lee and President Kang, released by JTBC the previous day, included Kang saying, "I said, 'I greeted with what Seongman hyung (lawmaker Lee Seong-man) prepared,' and (former leader Song) said, 'Oh, well done. Well done.'" This can be seen as evidence that former leader Song received reports about the 'money envelope' distribution from Kang and others and encouraged them.

Also, a conversation was disclosed in which Kang mentioned the real names of individuals who received money and suggested that former leader Song personally prepared funds and gave money to someone separately from former Secretary-General Lee and others. The prosecution plans to soon summon Park Mo, who was a secretary to former leader Song at the time, to confirm whether former leader Song was aware of the money envelope distribution process.

Meanwhile, voices within the Democratic Party are growing louder calling for former leader Song to return to the country early. Some even suggest that he should leave the party. However, former leader Song maintains his previous stance that he will announce his position on the 22nd. When the allegations first surfaced, Song clearly distanced himself from former Secretary-General Lee, but now that audio files containing evidence of his direct involvement in the money envelope distribution have been released, he needs time to review the prosecution's investigation status and the evidence secured before returning.

The prosecution is also expected to move soon to secure President Kang's custody.

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