Police seize more servers in civil servant `political activity` probe

Police on Sunday seized more servers belonging to a minor opposition party as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged "political activity" by civil servants and teachers, according to Yonhap News.

Korean law bars public worker and teacher unions from taking part in collective political activity, but the legitimacy of the investigation has been controversial.

After 30 minutes of scuffling with dozens of lawmakers and officials from the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) who resisted the seizure, officers with warrants secured the remaining nine computer servers of the party at the KT Internet center in Bundang, south of Seoul, police said. The first of the 10 servers was seized in a search conducted last Thursday.

Four party officials were taken to a nearby police station following the clash.

Police investigators said they are now checking the servers for evidence that union members paid membership fees to the DLP between 2006 and 2009.