(Yonhap) -- Police said Thursday they have secured the Internet server of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), which could determine if unionized civil servants had illegally taken part in political activities.

   Officers with warrants took control of the server at KT's Internet center in Bundang south of Seoul and are currently in the process of checking its data, officials said.

   Law enforcement officials tried last month to check the DLP's Internet site to see if members of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) and the Korean Government Employees' Union (KGEU) had taken part in the DLP's online voting, but the system had been turned off.

   The votes cast were to pick regional chapters, lawmakers and leading party officials of the progressive party.

   KTU and KGEU members whose names are found could face criminal charges and dismissal under current South Korean law.

   All civil servants and teachers are banned from joining or donating directly to a political party. Only indirect political contributions via the Election Management Commission are permitted.

   Meanwhile, police claimed that separately from the server, they have determined that of the 293 teachers and civil servants being probed, 120 had joined the DLP.

   It said that 34 teachers and 15 civil servants will be summoned Friday to determine the extent of their involvement in the political party.

   The probe comes amid the government's repeated warnings to unionized public workers not to engage in any political or anti-government activities, arguing that doing so would violate their obligation to stay politically neutral.

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