Latest news with #PoliticalFundsAct
Korea Herald
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Where's Huh Kyung-young? The eccentric, serial presidential candidate who once vowed to levitate lands in jail
Three-time presidential candidate detained on suspicion of financial and sexual wrongdoing Huh Kyung-young, a wacky politician who ran for South Korean presidency three times with outlandish pledges like giving 100 million won ($71,467) to every citizen, is back in the news, not as a candidate running for the June 3 election but as a criminal suspect. The 77-year-old, who holds the official title of honorary leader of the National Revolutionary Party, has been behind bars since Saturday after the Uijeongbu District Court issued a warrant for his detention on charges of fraud, violations of the Political Funds Act and coerced sexual misconduct. Having run in the 15th, 17th and 20th presidential elections and losing each time, he is widely known for making bizarre campaign promises, such as building a runway for UFOs, raising Koreans' IQ to 430 and offering tax breaks for bald people. Though widely dismissed as unrealistic and absurd, his proposals created enough buzz to be parodied on many entertainment shows. Huh is accused of using his religious facility, known as 'Haneulgung,' to sell goods at exorbitant prices. At Haneulgung, a group of his followers revere him as a spiritual leader and hold lectures and prayer sessions to promote his beliefs. Huh is also accused of sexual misconduct for touching his female followers inappropriately during what he described as spiritual counseling sessions. During a yearlong investigation, police questioned him more than 30 times and searched his facility, but he continued to refuse to cooperate and filed complaints against investigators. This led the court to grant an arrest warrant over concerns that he might destroy evidence. Can Huh run again? His recent arrest has raised questions among some online users about whether he could still run for the June 3 presidential election. 'No Huh Kyung-young this election? That feels unusual," a user wrote on X. 'Can someone in custody not run for office? I was actually looking forward to his crazy pledges," read another post. The answer is no. At this point, no one can throw their hat into the ring — the official candidacy registration period closed on May 11. As for the ongoing investigation into Huh, that does not, in itself, disqualify him from running for public office. Though this is ultimately irrelevant, as he is already barred due to a conviction last year. Article 18 of the Public Official Election Act stipulates that candidates are disqualified only after a conviction resulting in a prison sentence or a heavier penalty is finalized. Huh, in April 2024, was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for three years, for spreading false information. As a result, he is barred from running in elections until April 2034. Among the groundless claims he made were that he was the adopted son of the late Lee Byung-chull, founder of the tech giant Samsung, and that he had served as a policy advisor to former President Park Chung-hee. This was not the first time Huh was prohibited from running for office for spreading false information. During the 2007 presidential election, he promised to marry former President Park Geun-hye if elected. At that time, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison and barred from candidacy for a decade. He returned to politics in 2020. Meanwhile, Huh, currently held at the Uijeongbu Police Station, was taken to a hospital early Monday morning after reporting sudden abdominal pain. However, he was returned to the detention center after doctors found no health issues, according to police. cjh@
Korea Herald
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Election body grants W52.3b to 3 parties in presidential race
The National Election Commission distributed a total of 52.38 billion won ($37 million) in election subsidies to three political parties fielding candidates for the June 3 presidential election. According to the election watchdog on Wednesday, the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, which is running Lee Jae-myung as its presidential candidate, received over 26.5 billion won. The conservative People Power Party, fielding Kim Moon-soo, received 24.29 billion won, while the minor conservative New Reform Party, with Lee Jun-seok as its nominee, received 1.57 billion won. The Democratic Labor Party and the Liberty Unification Party, which are fielding Kwon Young-guk and Koo Joo-wa, respectively, were ineligible for subsidies, having failed to meet requirements set under the Political Funds Act. Under the law, the total subsidy amount is calculated by multiplying the number of eligible voters in the most recent general election by a per-voter rate. This year, the calculation is based on the 2024 general election and a rate of 1,183 won per voter. Half of the total amount was equally distributed to the Democratic Party and the People Power Party, both of which qualify as negotiating blocs by holding 20 or more seats in the 300-member National Assembly. Five percent is allocated to parties with five to 19 seats, and 2 percent to parties with fewer than five seats if they meet certain thresholds from recent elections. The remaining funds are split evenly, with half distributed in proportion to each party's share of Assembly seats and the other half according to their vote share in the 2024 general election. Of the 300 seats in the National Assembly, the Democratic Party holds 170, the People Power Party has 107, the Rebuilding Korea Party — which did not put forth a candidate — occupies 12 and the New Reform Party has three. No subsidies were provided to parties not fielding a presidential candidate. Other such parties are the Progressive Party, which has three seats in the National Assembly, and the Basic Income Party and Social Democratic Party, which each hold one seat. The three remaining lawmakers are independent.
Korea Herald
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Election body grants W52.3b to 3 parties
The National Election Commission distributed a total of 52.38 billion won ($37 million) in election subsidies to three political parties fielding candidates for the June 3 presidential election. According to the election watchdog on Wednesday, the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, which is running Lee Jae-myung as its presidential candidate, received over 26.5 billion won. The conservative People Power Party, fielding Kim Moon-soo, received 24.29 billion won, while the minor conservative New Reform Party, with Lee Jun-seok as its nominee, received 1.57 billion won. The Democratic Labor Party and the Liberty Unification Party, which are fielding Kwon Young-guk and Koo Joo-wa, respectively, were ineligible for subsidies, having failed to meet requirements set under the Political Funds Act. Under the law, the total subsidy amount is calculated by multiplying the number of eligible voters in the most recent general election by a per-voter rate. This year, the calculation is based on the 2024 general election and a rate of 1,183 won per voter. Half of the total amount was equally distributed to the Democratic Party and the People Power Party — both of which qualify as negotiating blocs by holding 20 or more seats in the 300-member National Assembly. Five percent is allocated to parties with five to 19 seats, and 2 percent to parties with fewer than five seats if they meet certain thresholds from recent elections. The remaining funds are split evenly, with half distributed in proportion to each party's share of Assembly seats and the other half according to their vote share in the 2024 general election. Of the 300 seats in the National Assembly, the Democratic Party holds 170, the People Power Party has 107, the Rebuilding Korea Party — which did not put forth a candidate — occupies 12 and the New Reform Party has three. No subsidies were provided to parties not fielding a presidential candidate. Other such parties comprise the Progressive Party, which has three seats in the National Assembly, and the Basic Income Party and Social Democratic Party that each hold one seat. The three remaining lawmakers are independent.
Korea Herald
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Ex-first lady says not to comply with prosecution summons this week: sources
Former first lady Kim Keon Hee has told the prosecution she cannot comply with a summon request this week, claiming the investigation into the alleged influence-peddling case could sway public opinion ahead of the upcoming presidential election, judicial sources said Tuesday. Kim's legal representatives submitted a letter of excuse for her non-attendance to a planned hearing at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office on Wednesday, according to the sources. Kim faces charges of violating the Public Official Election Act and the Political Funds Act in connection with allegations that she helped former People Power Party Rep. Kim Young-sun win the party's nomination for the 2022 by-elections via Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, who in return conducted free public opinion polls favorable to Yoon ahead of the 2022 presidential election. In the letter, Kim cited concerns over the investigation's potential impact on the June 3 presidential election, saying it could spur speculative media reports, the sources said. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Myung Tae-kyun investigated in election interference scandal
Myung Tae-kyun, accused of fabricating polls to influence the candidacies of conservative political figures, was summoned for questioning Tuesday morning, in a widening investigation into his alleged corrupt ties with the former presidential couple and current Seoul mayor. The pollster's summons to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office suggests the investigation into his alleged ties with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol and former first lady Kim Keon Hee is approaching a critical stage, according to local reports. The prosecution suspects Oh enlisted the pollster's help to conduct 13 unpublished polls, with businessperson and supporter Kim Han-jung covering the costs. Additionally, Kang Hye-kyung, a former member of Myung's polling agency, reportedly received 33 million won ($23,000) from Kim in 2021. 'I came all the way from Changwon (in South Gyeongsang Province) to Seoul to bring Oh Se-hoon down,' Myung told reporters after arriving at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, Tuesday. Asked about the number of times he met Seoul Mayor Oh, Myung claimed clear evidence and witnesses that would prove he met with Oh at least seven times. But the mayor said in November last year that he remembered meeting Myung only twice through the introduction of Kim Han-jung, around mid-to-late January 2021. He blasted Myung as a liar. Myung has also been embroiled in another political scandal for purportedly advising disgraced former President Yoon and his wife during the 2022 presidential campaign, alleging that he was later offered a public position following the Yoon's successful election. The controversy deepened when the Democratic Party of Korea released an audio recording suggesting Yoon had discussed a by-election nomination with Myung, following allegations that former first lady Kim had meddled in the ruling party's candidate nominations for the 2022 parliamentary by-elections. After being indicted and detained on charges of violating the Political Funds Act in December 2024, Myung confessed that he tried to manipulate public opinion at the request of top People Power Party politicians, including Oh. The political broker claimed he played a crucial role in facilitating Oh's Seoul mayoral by-election win in 2021. Though Oh supporter Kim Han-jung admitted to having sent money to pollster employee Kang during a prosecution investigation in March, Kim claimed it had nothing to do with covering public opinion poll expenses. It had merely been an attempt to leave a good impression of Oh to Myung, who claimed to have ties to Yoon, he said. Oh previously denied allegations of receiving any polling-related data from Myung and filed a complaint against him for deception and obstruction of his business as mayor last year. Meanwhile, Tuesday's investigation is also seen as the prosecutor's effort to expand the scope of the ongoing investigation into election nomination scandals involving former President Yoon and the first lady. Myung is suspected of receiving about 90 million won from a former lawmaker of the People Power Party, Kim Young-sun, on several occasions from 2022 to 2024. This was allegedly in exchange for Myung's help in getting her nominated on the party ticket ahead of the 2022 by-elections. Myung allegedly brokered the nomination for Kim by conducting multiple custom polls in favor of then-presidential candidate Yoon for free. The prosecution suspects the former first lady was involved in the nomination process as well. Asked about possible election interference by Yoon and Kim, the pollster said that the prosecution will make its own judgment, as it has already conducted extensive raids and questioned many witnesses. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office not only carried out search and seizure operations at the residence and office of Seoul Mayor Oh in mid-March, but also this month has investigated individuals connected to Yoon's alleged election interference, including former Gangseo-gu Mayor Kim Tae-woo, Kong Jae-kwang, who is mayor of Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and more. Tuesday's investigation marked Myung's first public appearance since he was released from the Changwon Correctional Institution after the court granted bail in early April, nearly five months after his arrest on charges of violating the Political Funds Act.
