South Korea's prosecutors have conducted a raid of a division of the presidential office, which is responsible for policies on supporting provincial governments, on Friday as part of an ongoing probe into alleged election meddling and collusion by the incumbent mayor of the city of Ulsan, Song Cheol-ho, and the South Korean government, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing a close presidential confidant
SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th January, 2020) South Korea's prosecutors have conducted a raid of a division of the presidential office, which is responsible for policies on supporting provincial governments, on Friday as part of an ongoing probe into alleged election meddling and collusion by the incumbent mayor of the city of Ulsan, Song Cheol-ho, and the South Korean government, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing a close presidential confidant.
According to the agency, prosecutors and the opposition believe that the division prepared the election campaign promises of the mayor, who pledged to build a public hospital in the city and then helped him fulfill them.
The agency also reported that the raid aimed at securing evidence on whether presidential officials conspired to help Song win an election in June 2018, in which he beat then-mayor Kim Gi-hyeon. According to Kim, they could file a document on bribery allegations involving his confidants, which led to the raid and had a negative influence on his election campaign.
Song was elected as Ulsan's mayor last year. His rival, Kim Gi-hyeon, also pledged to build a hospital that specialized in providing care for those injured in industrial accidents. According to the agency's previous reports, government support for Kim's hospital fell through just 16 days before the mayoral election.
In December, prosecutors conducted raids of the country's Finance Ministry and a government think tank, based in Sejong, to seize computers and files. Prosecutors have already secured evidence that Song was in discussion with South Korean governmental officials regarding the planned hospital in Ulsan as early as 2017. In addition, prosecutors secured office records related to the Ulsan hospital probe after raiding the prime minister's secretariat.
