A special prosecutor's team investigating allegations against First Lady Kim Keon-hee has reportedly secured a list of People Power Party (PPP) members whose names overlap with a Unification Church membership list. During a raid on the PPP’s membership database management firm, the team obtained a list of approximately 120,000 individuals.
The special prosecutor’s office, led by Min Jung-ki, cross-referenced the PPP’s list with a Unification Church member roster of 1.2 million, which was obtained during a prior raid on the church. The finding has prompted an investigation into whether Unification Church leaders and affiliates violated the Political Parties Act by potentially influencing internal party politics.
The probe focuses on alleged discussions between former Unification Church World Headquarters head Yoon Young-ho and "Geonjin-beopsa" Jeon Seong-bae. The two reportedly discussed recruiting over 10,000 church members to become rights-bearing members of the PPP, intending to influence the party's leadership election in February 2023 in favor of Representative Kwon Seong-dong.
In response, PPP floor leader Song Eon-seok dismissed the findings as statistically predictable. He noted that with nearly 5 million members, the party represents roughly 10% of the South Korean population, making a 120,000-name overlap with a 1.2-million-person list a statistically probable outcome.
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