Prosecutors have raided four power plant subsidiaries of KEPCO in an investigation into the energy ministry's so-called blacklist.

According to the legal community on Monday, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Offices sent investigators to four subsidiaries to find out whether the four former chiefs were induced to quit by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

This comes as the Liberty Korea Party, the predecessor of the current main opposition People Power Party, raised allegations of abuse of power by a high-ranking official of the ministry in 2019.

With the investigation launching three years after the allegations, there is speculation that it may be aimed at the current administration amid the impending transfer of power.

However, an official from the prosecution explained that the investigation is occurring now due to a Supreme Court ruling that another ministry’s blacklist was illegal, establishing the precedent needed for this investigation to proceed.