Seoul: Special counsel Min Joong-ki’s team on Thursday indicted Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on charges of violating the political fund law after he was put under arrest on Sept. 16. Kweon is accused of receiving 100 million won (US$71,360) in illegal political funds from a former Unification Church official in January 2022 after being asked to help the church gain various favors from the government following the presidential election of then PPP candidate Yoon Suk Yeol.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kweon, a five-term lawmaker who served as the PPP’s floor leader until June, was once known as one of Yoon’s close confidants. The special counsel team has filed a request for the preservation of Kweon’s assets in connection with his charges, and the Seoul Central District Court granted the request on Thursday. This measure is intended to prevent the suspect’s arbitrary disposal of assets in anticipation of future confiscation upon conviction.
The special counsel team is also investigating allegations that Kweon relayed Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja information on a police investigation into her alleged overseas gambling and received cash from her between February and March of 2022.
Separately, Min’s team indicted former prosecutor Kim Sang-min on charges of gifting former first lady Kim Keon Hee a 140 million-won painting by renowned artist Lee Ufan in return for her support for his bid to win the then ruling PPP’s nomination for a parliamentary seat representing Changwon’s Uichang district in the April 2024 general elections.
The special counsel team also indicted a land ministry official over suspected involvement in a controversial expressway project allegedly rerouted to benefit the family of former first lady Kim. The official is accused of accepting 35 million won and gifts from a businessman during the contractor selection process for the Seoul-Yangpyeong expressway project.