Eun-hye Kim Raises Allegations of 'Brother-in-law Studio Privileges'... Lee Jae-myung Responds with "Witch Hunt" Rebuttal

"Report of 'Demand to Use Brother-in-Law's Studio' at Event"
Lee: "It's inappropriate to say 'There is such a rumor'"

On the 20th, Kim Eun-hye, a member of the People Power Party, is questioning Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, during the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee's audit of Gyeonggi Provincial Government held at Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office in Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] On the 20th, Kim Eun-hye, a member of the People Power Party, raised allegations that Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, funneled work to his brother-in-law.

At the Gyeonggi Province audit held by the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee on the 20th, Rep. Kim stated, "I received a tip," and claimed, "When there is a Gyeonggi Province event, they were told, 'Take pictures here. This is the studio recommended by the Governor.' After taking the pictures, they realized that the studio belonged to the Governor's brother-in-law."

Rep. Kim said, "This person (the Governor's brother-in-law) established the studio after Lee's election," and demanded, "During Lee's tenure as Mayor of Seongnam in 2016, he said, 'Relatives must not benefit from selling things. There will be accountability.' If his firm stance against relatives' corruption is sincere, he should submit the status of media-related contracts made during his mayoral term."

In response, Lee said, "It is really inappropriate to say, 'There is such a rumor' without evidence," and added, "If there are doubts, raise the issue. The attitude of 'prove it if not you' is not right. This is called a witch hunt."

When Rep. Kim asked, "How many brothers-in-law do you have?" Lee avoided answering, saying, "That is a private matter, so I do not want to disclose it."

Rep. Kim raised her voice, saying, "If you are confident, just as you can face the Daejang-dong special prosecutor, there is no reason not to provide us with the contract details." Lee did not clearly respond to the allegations related to his brother-in-law during the audit that day.