On the 18th, the special counsel investigating Kim Keon-hee raided a company that manages the People Power Party's party member roster databases (DB). The move is part of a probe into allegations that the Unification Church, ahead of the People Power Party's March 2023 national convention, enrolled large numbers of church members to help Kweon Seong-dong win election as party leader.
Starting around 5:35 p.m. that day, the special counsel began a search and seizure of the company that manages the party member roster DB located near the People Power Party's central headquarters in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. The special counsel plans to secure related data to verify whether Unification Church members joined the People Power Party.
That morning, the special counsel sent investigators to the People Power Party's central headquarters to request the party member roster data. However, the People Power Party pushed back, saying the special counsel had launched a compulsory investigation despite the absence of specific criminal facts, and the two sides faced off for more than seven hours. In response, the special counsel began by conducting a search and seizure of the DB management company first.
Park Seong-hun, chief spokesperson of the People Power Party, told reporters on site, "What the special counsel is requesting is the entire roster of 5 million party members," and added, "They are demanding all personal information, including account details, not only for newly enrolled members but also for existing members."