Song Young-gil Who Declared Party Withdrawal... Will the Opposition's Money Envelope Allegations Fade Away?

Published 24 Apr.2023 10:16(KST)

Song Young-gil, the key figure in the money envelope scandal and former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has declared his sudden resignation from the party and expressed his intention to return to the country early. While the Democratic Party, which had been concerned about the prolonged money envelope scandal, has temporarily breathed a sigh of relief, there are worries that the scandal could reignite at any time once the investigation intensifies. The Democratic Party has criticized the prosecution for 'disclosing the facts of the accused' and launched a counterattack by emphasizing fairness with former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Hyun-ah.

On the 24th, Lee Sang-min, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "(The Democratic Party) is not in a situation to breathe a sigh of relief," adding, "The truth of this money envelope case?who gave how much money to whom and how that money was collected?has not been revealed at all."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Separate from Song's resignation from the party, there must be a process to verify the truth. He said, "If the facts are revealed, responsibility must be strictly held, and truth and responsibility are key," adding, "Nothing has changed, and if people say they can breathe a sigh of relief just because he resigned, isn't that just scapegoating?"

Lee stated that an internal investigation should be conducted either through the party's ethics inspection unit or an external third-party organization. He said, "The prosecution will continue its investigation regardless of our intentions, but separately, the organization should conduct its own internal cleansing investigation," adding, "It should be done, and giving up on that in advance is giving up on the leadership of the party's leadership." However, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung previously stated that the party would not conduct its own investigation, citing the lack of enforceability.

Nevertheless, within the party, there are ongoing calls for an internal investigation process involving external experts, even if it lacks enforceability. Park Beom-gye, a Democratic Party lawmaker planning to run for floor leader, said on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' "If we leave it to the prosecution's investigation, the timing of the investigation will be controlled by the prosecution, and the investigation period could be prolonged indefinitely," adding, "From that perspective, the party needs to actively establish an investigative body involving internal and external experts."

At the same time, the Democratic Party maintains the position that the money envelope investigation is a political crackdown by the prosecution. Regarding the Democratic Party's criticism that the money envelope investigation is political oppression by the prosecution, and Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon’s response asking, "Is the match-fixing investigation sports oppression?" Park said, "Considering all aspects, it is a feast of words created in various ways," adding, "Many people have repeatedly said you shouldn't talk like that, but it seems completely aligned with one faction."

Contrary to the allegations against Democratic Party lawmakers being widely reported in the media, the allegations against People Power Party lawmakers are not reported, which they claim is a 'tilted playing field.' Democratic Party lawmaker Seo Young-kyo said regarding reports on former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Hyun-ah's illegal political funds, "There are reports saying there are recordings demanding money and that money was deposited into bank accounts. Then why are none of these recordings or details reported, and why do the prosecution or police not inform the media during raids? It is so unfair," adding, "When it comes to our side, raids are reported by all media, and there is talk about whether to discipline or not, but none of these details are reported."