Rep. Yoon Kwan-seok, Suspected of 'Money Envelope' Scandal, Under Investigation at Prosecutor's Office

The prosecution investigating the Democratic Party of Korea's '2021 Party Convention Money Envelope Suspicion' is summoning and questioning independent lawmaker Yoon Kwan-seok on the morning of the 22nd. This is the second investigation of a sitting lawmaker following the questioning of independent lawmaker Lee Seong-man on the 19th.

Yoon Kwan-seok, a member of the Democratic Party who expressed his intention to leave the party amid allegations of "2021 party convention money envelopes," is attending a members' meeting held at the National Assembly on the 3rd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-chul) summoned Yoon around 10 a.m. as a suspect on charges including violation of the Political Parties Act. The prosecution is reportedly confirming the specific process of funding and delivery and the recipients with Yoon. Unlike Lee, who appeared publicly, Yoon appeared privately, avoiding the press.

Yoon is accused of conspiring with former Korea Water Resources Corporation Standing Auditor Kang Rae-gu and others to distribute a total of 94 million won to lawmakers and others to support former party leader Song’s election during the party convention from March to May 2021.

In the search warrant's statement of facts, the prosecution noted that in April 2021, Yoon instructed that "it is necessary to distribute money to maintain existing support," leading former auditor Kang to raise 60 million won, which was divided into 3 million won portions and delivered to 10 to 20 lawmakers of the same party. Kang, who is under intense investigation after being detained, is expected to be indicted within this week. Kang reportedly pointed to Yoon as responsible for the money envelopes distributed to lawmakers, claiming ignorance about the envelopes during recent prosecution questioning. The 'Lee Jung-geun recording' secured by the prosecution reportedly contains several parts suggesting Yoon’s involvement.

Legal circles expect that after investigating Yoon, the prosecution will request an arrest warrant considering the gravity of the case. For a sitting lawmaker to be detained during a session, the court’s pre-arrest detention hearing requires the National Assembly’s consent to arrest. Therefore, if the prosecution requests an arrest warrant, the consent to arrest motion may be reported at the plenary session scheduled for the 25th.

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