Police probe allegations that Haman County Governor Cha Seok-ho joined a political party; raid governor's office and provincial party headquarters

Police raided the office of Haman County Governor Cha Seok-ho and the People Power Party's South Gyeongsang provincial chapter on the 15th as part of an investigation into allegations that Cha, while a public official, was involved in signing up for party membership.

The Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency carried out the raid on the governor's office and the provincial party headquarters starting around 9 a.m. on the 15th. The search marks the launch of a compulsory investigation into allegations that Governor Cha was involved in obtaining party membership. A police official said, "As this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot provide specific details."

Governor Cha had previously stated his position during his candidacy in the June 3 local elections. He submitted his resignation as deputy mayor of Jinju on September 24 last year, explaining that under the Public Official Election Act, a public official seeking to run is deemed to have left office upon the submission of a resignation letter. He also said that both the People Power Party's South Gyeongsang provincial chapter and its national headquarters had reviewed the matter and concluded there were no issues with his eligibility as a candidate.