Police initiated efforts to conduct a raid of the parliamentary office of an opposition lawmaker accused of leaking personal information of justice minister Han Dong-hoon.

Officers of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency descended on the office of main opposition Democratic Party(DP) Rep. Choe Kang-wook after earlier securing his phone.

The police are investigating an alleged leak of documents concerning the resident registration of the minister's family and their real estate contract, which were submitted to parliament ahead of his confirmation hearing last year.

Investigators suspect that Choe handed over the information to an MBC reporter surnamed Lim, whose residence and vehicle were searched along with the National Assembly Secretariat last week. They also attempted to search the broadcaster's premises but left after a two-hour faceoff with staff. 

Earlier, independent Gangseo District councilor Kim Min-seok filed a complaint with the police after an unidentified individual handed over related leaked documents.

Lim faces separate defamation charges for a report last September that included captions appearing to show President Yoon Suk Yeol making crude remarks about U.S. President Joe Biden and Congress during a visit to New York.