[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] The United Future Party is launching a full-scale offensive focusing on the poor accounting management of the Justice and Memory Foundation, and the inappropriate use of donations by related parties including Yoon Mee-hyang, the elected member of the Democratic Party of Korea.
On the 25th, immediately after Grandma Lee Yong-soo's additional press conference, the United Future Party held the first meeting of the "Comfort Women Grandmothers' Damage Truth Investigation Task Force (TF)" and pressured Yoon and the ruling party by mentioning the resignation of all executives and the possibility of a state audit.
Joo Ho-young, the floor leader of the United Future Party, attended the meeting and said, "The donations given by the public with the hope that the grandmothers who sacrificed their youthful days can live comfortably in their remaining years have not been properly delivered to them. Instead, they are missing from the accounting books, making it impossible to know their use, and there are even circumstances suggesting private use." He pressured the ruling party by adding, "If the suspicions are not resolved, we will broadly consider pushing for a state audit."
Lee Jong-bae, chairman of the Policy Committee, also warned, "There are attempts by the ruling party to systematically protect and downplay the incident. If the truth is not properly uncovered due to obstruction by the ruling party, we may also push for a state audit."
Gwak Sang-do, chairman of the Truth Investigation TF, urged the resignation of all executives of the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeon) and the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Jeongdaehyeop), to which Yoon belongs. He stated, "There are sufficient reasons for resignation alone, including failure to disclose government subsidies, soliciting donations with false information, using donations for purposes other than intended, suspicions regarding the 'business contract' of the Anseong shelter, favoritism in work allocation involving Yoon and her spouse, and allegations of scholarship fund sharing among Justice and Memory Foundation and Korean Council officials."
The United Future Party also plans to revise related laws in the 21st National Assembly to monitor whether donations collected by civic groups are properly used. Chairman Lee of the Policy Committee said, "We will play a role in institutionally supplementing the system so that donations to civic groups can be used transparently and for their intended purposes." Elected member Kim Woong also urged through his Facebook, "This is too horrific to be called a personal corruption. This incident should be an opportunity to restore transparency in foundations and civic groups." He called on "all sanctified foundations and organizations to voluntarily disclose all accounting data."
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