"PPP Must Return 39.7 Billion Won"... "DPK's 43.4 Billion Won Is No Exception"

[Anchor]

Following former President Yoon Suk Yeol receiving a sentence that would invalidate his election in the first trial, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) targeted the People Power Party (PPP), urging it to immediately return 39.7 billion won in election expenses. In response, the PPP launched a counterattack, stating that President Lee Jae-myung's Public Official Election Act case must also resume and that the DPK should return 43.4 billion won.

Here is the report by reporter Kim Bo-mi.

[Reporter]

The DPK issued a commentary calling former President Yoon Suk Yeol's first-trial sentence that would invalidate his election a "matter-of-course ruling."

Targeting the PPP, the party demanded that without dragging its feet, the PPP should immediately return the 2022 presidential election expenses it received as a subsidy.

[Kang Jun-hyun / Senior Spokesperson, DPK: They must immediately apologize to the public and step up to return the 39.7 billion won in election expenses reimbursed with taxpayer money.]

The PPP stated that it will "strictly watch the Supreme Court's final judgment until the end."

At the same time, the party counterattacked, arguing that subsequent trials regarding President Lee Jae-myung's Public Official Election Act case must be swiftly resumed, and if a sentence invalidating an election is finalized, the DPK must return its election reimbursement funds.

[Park Sung-hoon / Senior Spokesperson, PPP: The DPK must definitely return the 43.4 billion won in presidential election reimbursement funds covered by the public's tax money.]

Under the Public Official Election Act, if a presidential candidate wins 15 percent or more of the vote, the government fully reimburses the candidate's side for election expenses and deposits.

However, if a sentence invalidating an election is finalized, the reimbursed funds must be returned in full.

As of February last year, the PPP's assets were reportedly in the 100 billion won range, with real estate accounting for the majority.

Due to illegal presidential campaign funds from the so-called truckload fund scandal, the PPP's predecessor, the former Grand National Party, had to sell its central party headquarters in 2004 to return the funds, starting the era of the tent headquarters and spending 16 years in rented offices until 2020.

As for the DPK, President Lee Jae-myung was indicted on charges of publishing false information during the 2022 presidential election and was acquitted in the second trial, but after the Supreme Court remanded the case in May of last year with a partial guilty intent, the trial has remained suspended to date.

If a fine of 1 million won or more is finalized in the future, the DPK will have to return 43.4 billion won.

(Camera Reporter: Lee Seung-hwan, Shin Dong-hwan | Video Editor: Lee Seung-jin | Designer: Kim Ye-ji)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.