As the Democratic Party pressed for a police re-investigation of allegations involving the daughter of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, the Oct. 12 National Police Agency audit also saw the parties clash over the matter. The People Power Party questioned the fairness of probes in other cases.
According to Kyunghyang Shinmun, the Democratic Party demanded on Oct. 12, at its Supreme Council meeting and elsewhere, a fresh probe of the 'false credentials' allegations about Han's daughter, and has issued 11 official statements on the matter since the 9th. Council member Jeon Yong-gi was reported to have said the Han case is far from trivial compared with the Cho Kuk case, and Han Min-soo argued prosecutors blocked a core line of inquiry and that the public would not accept the outcome. Han's side countered, the article says, that a bill a Democratic lawmaker introduced was drafted by a club linked to party leader Kim Min-seok's son.
광고 문의 · 300×250At the police audit, different questions from each side
The Public Administration and Security Committee audit at police headquarters in Seoul's Seodaemun that day was the first police audit since the new criminal justice system took effect, with acting commissioner Kim Jong-cheol answering. Democratic lawmaker Yoon Geon-young said police questioned the complainants six times over one year and eight months but the accused only once, in writing, and never sought a search warrant. Kim Young-bae called it a 'Han Dong-hoon-style SKY Castle' and compared the non-referral decision to the Kim Keon-hee case. Kim Jong-cheol replied that police would actively review it again if new facts or complaints emerge.
The People Power Party did not engage much with the Han questions and focused instead on its own lawmaker Kim Jae-seop, named in a complaint over a Cancun trip tied to former Democratic Seoul mayoral candidate Jung Won-oh. Kwon Young-jin said Kim was summoned on the first audit day and questioned for 16 hours while Jung was not summoned, asking whether that was fair; Kang Myung-gu cited public suspicion of targeting the opposition. Kim Jong-cheol said police were investigating fairly without political considerations.
Caution inside and outside the party
Kyunghyang reported that the Democratic Party, amid falling approval and internal friction over the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency nominee, concluded it could no longer ignore Han. A figure close to Kim Min-seok cited the base's demand for a firm response to those shaking the party and the president. Others in the party warn that having the entire party confront an independent with limited influence only enlarges his profile. All of the above reflects audit questions and politicians' claims, not facts confirmed by a court or investigators.
The clash matters because the first police audit under the new system put the fairness of probes involving politicians in the spotlight. Each party led with the case that suited it, while police stressed fair investigation without reaching a specific conclusion for either side. Whether a re-investigation occurs depends on whether new facts or complaints emerge.