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| Lee Jae-myung, head of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), pauses while speaking to reporters in front of the DPK headquarters in Seoul, Oct. 24. Yonhap |
An apparently tearful opposition leader Lee Jae-myung cried foul Monday after prosecutors raided the headquarters of his Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in a corruption investigation that is zeroing in on him after the arrest of one of his closest aides.
Investigators made their way into the DPK headquarters to search the office of Kim Yong, a longtime confidant of Lee, over allegations that he took 847 million won ($591,000) from property developers in the suburban city of Seongnam in violation of the political fund law.
Kim, who was arrested Saturday, is deputy head of the DPK-affiliated Institute for Democracy think tank. It was the second attempt to raid the DPK headquarters after an earlier attempt fell through due to protests from party officials.
"The central headquarters building of the opposition party was violated in the middle of a parliamentary audit," Lee told reporters in front of the party headquarters. "A terrible incident unprecedented in the history of democracy in the Republic of Korea is happening now."
While speaking, Lee apparently became tearful, looked up at the sky and wiped his eye.
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| Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung speaks during the party's Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly, Oct. 24. Yonhap |
"I hope the people will not forget this scene of history and safeguard the regressing democracy," he said.
Prosecutors suspect the money given to Kim was used to help fund the presidential campaign of Lee, who lost to President Yoon Suk-yeol by a razor-thin margin in the March presidential election. Lee has flatly denied any wrongdoing, saying he did not receive even a penny of illegal money.
Earlier in the day, Lee denounced the raid as "violence" against the opposition.
"It is hard to understand from common sense that a raid was conducted ahead of the president's parliamentary budget speech," he said. "It comes to my mind that politics are gone and all that's left is domination."
Lee and the DPK have called for an independent counsel probe, claiming the scandal also involves those close to Yoon. The ruling People Power Party immediately rejected the request, saying Lee is trying to stall for time.
The party has threatened to boycott a budget speech that Yoon is scheduled to deliver at the National Assembly on Tuesday unless Yoon agrees to a special prosecutor investigation and apologizes for what the party calls suppression of the opposition.
"There is no cooperation. Just threats," DPK Rep. Jung Chung-rai said, denouncing the prosecution's second attempt to raid the DPK headquarters. "Unless President Yoon sincerely apologizes, the DPK should not hesitate to boycott his budget speech."
Some party members have also proposed a special counsel probe into irregularities involving first lady Kim Keon-hee.
"Those who agree to a special counsel probe of the first lady are twofold of those who are against it. We urge that a special counsel probe into the first lady is immediately accepted to uncover the truth," DPK floor leader Park Hong-keun said.
"We will guard democracy through all means including a special counsel probe into Kim Keon-hee," DPK Rep. Jang Kyung-tae said. (Yonhap)
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