People Power Party Warns of Filing Complaint Against Police Investigators

The People Power Party (PPP) has warned that it will file charges, including distortion of justice, against the police investigator if a justifiable reason for demanding the party's primary election voter registry is not provided for the police probe into the June 3 local election nomination process. This marks the first direct pushback from the political sector against the police investigation into the nomination process. The PPP sent a warning letter to the Seoul Gwanak Police Station on the 25th detailing this stance.

The Gwanak Police Station is investigating the PPP's nomination process for the recent local elections and on the 18th, questioned the representative of a partner company that manages the party's member database (DB) as a witness. Police are reportedly proceeding with the investigation by treating party member anonymized numbers as equivalent to the virtual numbers used for mobile phones under the Public Official Election Act.

The PPP has requested explanations from the Gwanak Police Station regarding the legal basis for summoning the witness, the process of reviewing the application of the Public Official Election Act, whether inquiries were made to the National Election Commission, and the reasons for demanding extensive party member data. The deadline for the Gwanak Police Station's response is the 1st of next month. This warning from the PPP concerning the police investigation highlights the growing friction between the party and the police, following recent allegations of assault involving an MP's aide.