The People Power Party announced on the 28th that it would file a complaint against the 'Growth and Integration' officials, known as the think tank of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, with the National Election Commission.
Joo Jin-woo, a legal advisor for the party, stated in a media announcement that they would report seven officials from 'Growth and Integration' for violations of the Public Official Election Act and the Political Funds Act.
Joo noted, "'Growth and Integration' is an unregistered organization that cannot receive political funds, yet it attempted to collect illegal political funds by imposing a certain amount of membership fees on commissioners based on their positions," and claimed, "Officials such as Yoo Jong-ik and Huh Min publicly stated that they were directly asked by the candidate to prepare growth strategies, effectively acknowledging that the organization is essentially a similar entity to the candidate's organization."
He added, "After the issues were pointed out, they effectively admitted to the illegal fundraising by announcing the cancellation of the fundraising and promising to return the already paid membership fees."
He further stated, "If such cases repeat, there is a concern that the election order will be seriously disrupted, and we requested a thorough fact-finding investigation from the National Election Commission."
'Growth and Integration', launched on the 16th, is regarded as the candidate's think tank, attracting hundreds of current lawmakers, professors, and former officials during its launch ceremony.
However, as discussions within the organization became known externally as the official policies of Lee Jae-myung's campaign, and rumors spread that some individuals participating in the campaign could be appointed to key positions in the next administration, voices of concern and restraint within the party grew.
Moreover, there were internal judgments that delivering a policy proposal book to a specific candidate's campaign could potentially violate election laws.
In response, some committees within the organization released a unilateral statement about dissolution on the 24th, prompting co-chairs Yoo Jong-ik and Huh Min of Growth and Integration to issue a rebuttal statement saying, "This is not true," leading to some discord.