UPP blocks official probe

By Yun Suh-young

The prosecution was prevented from raiding the headquarters of the Unified Progressive Party (UPP), Monday, as part of its investigation into a vote-rigging scandal, due to party members and officials barricading the building.

Prosecutors had obtained a search and seizure warrant to probe into the fraudulent selection of proportional representation candidates during last month’s National Assembly elections — a possible violation of the National Election Law. The prosecution planned to secure a list of party members and documents related to the election.

The decision to investigate the case came after the conservative New Right Korea filed a complaint with the prosecution, claiming that the election process had been manipulated in the selection of six proportional representation candidates.

An internal fact-finding committee found that the UPP fabricated data and signed a contract with an unqualified electoral management organization.

The team found out that online votes did not meet a deadline and were collectively sent from the same Internet Protocol (IP) address. Unregistered onsite ballots were also taken into account.

This is the first time that a search and seizure was served against a leftist party by the prosecution.

UPP officials blocking the entrance to the headquarters claimed the investigation was a violation of the right to political activities.

“The prosecution’s attempt to seize a list of party members, considered the heart of the party, is equal to seizing the party itself,” said Rep. Kang Ki-kab, head of a non-mainstream interim leadership committee.

“The raid is not helping the party get itself together but is worsening the situation. Both the mainstream and non-mainstream factions must cooperate to counter this situation.”

Lee Jung-mi, a spokeswoman for the interim committee, also said during a press briefing that it was trying hard to reform the party.

“The prosecution’s raid is targeting election documents and this is a violation of our right to engage in political activities guaranteed in the Constitution,” said Lee.

The prosecutors and party officials have been confronting each other ever since the prosecution initially arrived at the building at around 8 a.m.

The UPP’s internal investigation into the voting scandal revealed that two of the six proportional lawmakers were chosen by voting fraud. Members of the party immediately called for their resignation, but the two refused to do so, escalating an intra-party dispute.

The incident shook the party and provoked violence between the mainstream and non-mainstream factions.