'Top Concern' Lee Jae-myung Attack Suspect's Party Affiliation... Police "Internal Decision Not to Disclose"

Police Investigate Kim's Party Membership After Warrant Issued
Namesake Joined Saenuri Party, Left 5 Years Later

The police appear to have decided not to disclose the party affiliation of Kim Mo (67), the assailant of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.

According to the police on the 7th, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency investigated Kim, who was arrested at the scene immediately after the crime, regarding his history of party membership.

Suspect who ambushed Lee Jae-myung staring straight ahead. [Photo by Yonhap News]

After obtaining a warrant from the court on the 3rd, based on Kim's statements, they requested information from the People Power Party and the Democratic Party of Korea about Kim's past and current party affiliations.

According to authorities, a person with the same name and date of birth as Kim is known to have maintained party membership from 2015 to 2020 during the Saenuri Party era, the predecessor of the People Power Party. Afterwards, he is reported to have left the Saenuri Party and joined the Democratic Party in April 2023.

Ultimately, it seems the police internally concluded not to disclose Kim's party affiliation. According to the Political Parties Act, if an investigative agency leaks information about a suspect's party affiliation learned during an investigation, they may face imprisonment or detention for up to three years.

The police plan to reveal the motive for the crime and whether there were accomplices, excluding party affiliation, in the final investigation report next week.

Although the police have not disclosed it, Kim's party membership history is leaking through political circles. Regardless of how his party affiliation is revealed, the political repercussions are expected to be significant.

Some argue that the provisions of the Political Parties Act have become obsolete and that the police should disclose Kim's party affiliation in the interest of the public's right to know.

A police official said in a media interview, "It is a sensitive matter, so we cannot disclose it," and added, "We have no choice but to act according to the law."

With the police's policy of not disclosing the suspect's party affiliation, political turmoil is expected to continue for the time being. If the prosecution does not reveal it before indictment, Kim's specific party affiliation is likely to be clearly disclosed during the trial process.

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