By Bernama,
Seoul : A South Korean woman set to become the country’s youngest lawmaker is under investigation for allegedly paying a sizable amount of money to her party to get a seat under a proportional representation system, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Yang Jeong-rye, 30, won the Pro-Park United Party’s top proportional seat in last week’s parliamentary elections, but allegations have surfaced that she paid a “special membership fee.”
Election laws ban the buying of party nominations, which is punishable by up to five years in prison or a 10 million won (US$10,000) fine.
However, prosecutors often find it difficult to prove a direct link between the payment of party membership fees and nomination for candidacy, although those who contribute an excessive amount tend to be under suspicion.
“As a variety of allegations have been brought against the lawmaker-elect, we are trying to verify them at this point,” Yonhap news agency cited a prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, as saying on Wednesday.
Yang was also suspected of forging her academic credentials and work experience, reducing the value of her property in official reports and covering up her state of matrimony.
The prosecution has asked the National Election Commission to present all of her documents for background checks.
Yang had her mobile phone turned off and could not be reached for comment, but Suh Chung-won, co-chairman of the Pro-Park United Party who was in charge of her nomination, strongly denied the allegations.
“There’s no illegality involved,” Suh said in a press conference.
The Pro-Park United Party was formed shortly before the elections by a group of former members of the ruling Grand National Party who defected after failing to receive party nominations.
Pledging their allegiance to Park Geun-hye, a former GNP chairwoman who is the daughter of former President Park Chung-hee, the party won 14 seats — six regional ones and eight proportional ones. In the 299-member assembly, 54 seats are allocated for proportional seats distributed to parties according to the votes they win in the elections.