People Power Party: "Yoo Si-min's Apology Lacks Sincerity... He Should Step Down from the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation"

Yoo Si-min, Chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, is giving a greeting speech at the signing ceremony of the business agreement between Duksung Women's University and Gudumanneun Punggyeong Agiotrend, held on the afternoon of October 29 last year at the main conference room of the administration building of Duksung Women's University in Dobong-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] The People Power Party criticized Yoo Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, for his apology, stating, "He should disclose the basis for spreading false information and the source of the information, and step down from his position as chairman of the foundation." This comment was made in relation to Yoo's apology regarding his allegation that the prosecution had accessed transaction information of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation's bank accounts, which he admitted was "not true."

On the 23rd, Kim Ye-ryeong, spokesperson for the People Power Party, said, "There is no sincerity felt in Yoo's belated apology, and we cannot dismiss suspicion about what hidden intentions lie behind his attitude," adding, "He should disclose the basis for spreading false information and the source of the information, and step down from his position as chairman of the foundation."

Spokesperson Kim pointed out, "When investigative agencies access bank accounts for the purpose of investigation, they are required to notify the account holder within a maximum of one year. Since the financial institutions did not provide such notification and evidence could not be presented, he ultimately had to bow his head."

She continued, "As Yoo stated in his apology, we hope to see the mature intellectual Yoo Si-min who presents responsible alternatives and logic, rather than a politician caught in 'excessive emotional hostility' and 'logical confirmation bias.'"

She also criticized, "Whatever the intention, we hope this incident serves as an opportunity for him to refrain from careless remarks and to reflect and repent on how his 'say anything' style conspiracy theories and 'demonizing the opponent' rhetoric cause division and conflict."

Previously, in December 2019, Yoo appeared on the YouTube channel 'Alileo' and claimed, "I confirmed that the prosecution looked into the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation's bank accounts. I suspect they also examined my personal accounts," adding, "I think they conducted background checks on me. There is a strong possibility they also looked into my wife's accounts."

At the time, the prosecution denied the claims, stating, "We have not tracked any accounts. Please stop making malicious false claims." Yoo did not respond for some time but suddenly apologized on the 22nd, about a year after raising the allegations, saying, "It was not true."