Yoon Seok-yeol "It would be better not to mention it"
Lee Jae-myung "No special opinion"
Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, and his wife Kim Geon-hee, CEO of Kobana Contents [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Regarding the broadcast of the 7-hour phone call between candidate Yoon Seok-yeol's spouse Kim Geon-hee and a reporter from the YouTube channel ‘Seoul's Voice,’ both Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party presidential candidate, and Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, are remaining tight-lipped and taking a cautious stance. While the People Power Party is showing sharp reactions fearing this could be a setback in the presidential election, the Democratic Party is also closely monitoring the fallout with a careful attitude.
After concluding the launch ceremony of the Seoul Election Countermeasures Committee, candidate Yoon met with reporters and, when asked about the broadcast report, said, "I do not know anything about the content," adding, "I think it is better if I do not comment." The day before, after attending the People Power Party’s Victory Resolution Rally in Ulsan, Yoon told reporters, "Well, I have not even seen the verdict yet, and because my schedule is busy, I have no time to look into it, so I have nothing to say."
Although candidate Yoon is holding back his words, the People Power Party is showing sharp reactions regarding this matter. Lee Yang-su, senior spokesperson of the People Power Party’s election headquarters, described the upcoming broadcast as "the ‘collusion between media and informant 2’ incident by MBC, which clearly intends to interfere in the election." Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, appeared on a broadcast the previous day and said, "These are conversations based on dialogue, but if it looks like a betrayal, some sympathy for the candidate’s spouse might arise," adding, "Turning this into a question of the spouse’s qualifications rather than the candidate might lead the public to think this is an excessive political attack."
For now, the political circles view the content of this phone call as a negative factor for candidate Yoon.
Candidate Lee, who could potentially benefit from this, is refraining from commenting. After attending a service at Joyang Methodist Church in Sokcho that morning, Lee told reporters, "I have no special opinion."
The Democratic Party has remained silent at least in official statements following the partial acceptance of the People Power Party’s injunction request to ban the broadcast. Cho Seung-rae, senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party’s election headquarters, said in a statement on the 14th, "We hope candidate Yoon and his spouse, as well as the People Power Party, humbly accept the public judgment on the content of Kim Geon-hee’s statements disclosed according to the court’s decision," adding, "That is the minimum courtesy to voters."
Meanwhile, Hong Joon-pyo, a People Power Party lawmaker, mentioned that the broadcast might reveal the truth about the investigation related to former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. Through social media, Hong stated, "I hope the truth about the Cho Kuk case will come out." During the party’s presidential primary, Hong was criticized for defending Cho Kuk while pointing out issues related to the investigation.
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