Ya "Next week, the ruling party seems likely to request a broadcast ban"
On the afternoon of the 16th, the electronic billboard at the MBC building in Sangam-dong, Seoul, is airing "Straight," which covers the '7-hour phone call' content of Kim Geon-hee, the spouse of Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] After the release of the '7-hour phone call recording' of Kim Gun-hee, spouse of Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, the expected fallout did not materialize, and political circles are evaluating that there were no remarks with enough impact to influence the election. Members of the Democratic Party of Korea, who had been emphasizing the "must-watch live broadcast" to highlight the Kim risk, have remained silent since the broadcast ended.
After the MBC 'Straight' broadcast reporting on Kim's phone call transcript ended, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, responded on Facebook saying, "There is absolutely no problem." He stated, "It is natural for the candidate's spouse to express her own views on political or social issues," and rather pointed out, "I wish the broadcast had clarified more precisely which parts were problematic."
Hong Jong-ki, Kim's legal representative and head of the People Power Party's media legal team for the election campaign, also evaluated on Facebook that there was no issue, saying, "Next week's MBC Straight seems to be in an atmosphere where the Democratic Party will file an injunction to ban the broadcast."
Democratic Party lawmakers, who had encouraged viewers to watch the live broadcast and raised expectations before the airing, have gone silent. Previously, lawmakers such as Jung Cheong-rae and Ko Min-jung posted on Facebook before the broadcast, saying, "Why is time passing so slowly? Waiting for the MBC live broadcast from 8:19 PM tonight, must-watch live broadcast," and "It's been a while since there was a broadcast worth watching live," but they have made no further comments after the broadcast ended.
Yoon Seok-yeol, the wife of the People Power Party's presidential candidate Kim Geon-hee, is making a statement regarding allegations of false credentials at the People Power Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 26th of last month. / Photo by Yonhap News
Some pro-government figures expressed disappointment. Contrary to initial expectations, no statements with significant issues emerged, and rather, Kim actively refuted allegations surrounding her, such as the Julie hostess theory and cohabitation rumors with a married man, providing her an opportunity to explain.
Poet Ryu Geun referred to MBC as 'EmXX' on Facebook, writing, "They threw a big party but in the end only provided a shield (defense) for Kim Gun-hee. Both sister and brother-in-law succeeded in evading blame. They carried out a betrayal act that turned Kim Gun-hee's negative issue into a positive one."
Food columnist Hwang Kyo-ik said, "Many people were disappointed with the broadcast content because they expected bombshell revelations," adding, "No matter how close you are, you don't give a reporter a bomb that could kill you. There should be a separate process to specifically criticize what Kim said."
Attorney Jeong Cheol-seung, representing the family of the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, evaluated, "If I had heard Kim's phone call content first, I would have advised not to broadcast it," and said, "I thought Kim could not be that foolish, but after watching the broadcast, Seoul Voice was foolish and Seoul Voice was outsmarted by Kim. It was not Pandora's box."
MBC Straight released the recorded phone call between Kim and a reporter from the YouTube media outlet Seoul Voice. According to the report, the two showed familiarity by calling each other sister and brother, and the conversation included Kim proposing to work together or asking the reporter to advise Yoon's campaign. In fact, the reporter visited the Kobana Contents office, where Kim is CEO, to give a lecture in August last year.
Kim also actively explained the allegations against her. Regarding the Julie allegations, she denied them, saying, "I am the type who doesn't even want to go to nightclubs," and "I am a very spiritual person, so at that time I would rather read books or talk with mystics about 'what is life'."
Regarding the cohabitation rumor with a married prosecutor, she said, "Why would I cohabit with a married man? Would my mother sell her daughter to a married man? My mother has money and no reason to sell her daughter. It's nonsense."
Kim also shared her personal views on the 'Cho Kuk incident' and the situation where Yoon, who was Prosecutor General, became a presidential candidate. She said, "The Cho Kuk investigation shouldn't have been such a big deal, but actually Cho Kuk's enemy is the Democratic Party," and "They attacked the prosecution too much, which caused this conflict."
She added, "Would the conservatives have raised (Yoon)? Conservatives would want to benefit themselves," and claimed, "This (Yoon's approval rating) was nurtured by the Moon Jae-in administration. Politics always has enemies on your own side."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
