"Lee Jae-myung's Side Also Sent Civil Servants on Errands for Ancestral Rite Supplies"…Additional Allegations Raised

B 씨, A 씨에 "Jesayongpum chae sitgo Sunaero" jisi
Yeo "Eobmu chujinbiro san gwail gwa jesaeumsik mugwan"

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited the Andong Kim Clan Hwasuhoe in Andong City, Gyeongbuk, on the 1st, the Lunar New Year holiday, together with his wife Kim Hye-kyung, and is taking a commemorative photo.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A former Gyeonggi Provincial Government secretary, Mr. A, who reported allegations of 'excessive protocol' involving Kim Hye-kyung, wife of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, made an additional revelation on the 7th that Lee's camp ordered him to purchase food for ancestral rites.

JTBC reported on the same day, citing Telegram messages and testimonies received from Mr. A, confirming such allegations.

According to the report, in March last year, Mr. A sent a message via Telegram to Mr. B, a member of the General Affairs Department at the provincial government, saying, "I will receive ancestral rite items from the fruit store and take pictures." Along with this, he took and sent photos of jeon (Korean pancakes), pears, apples, and dried pollack to Mr. B.

In response, Mr. B instructed, "Load them into the car and leave after that," directing to deliver the items to Lee's residence in Sunae-dong, Seongnam City.

Photo by JTBC, screenshot from 'Newsroom'.

Following the instructions, Mr. A went to Lee's residence and reported, "I placed (the items) on the back seat of the front passenger side." During this process, Mr. B also asked, "When you arrive in Sunae, please smell the jeon. Hopefully, it hasn't gone bad?"

Mr. A claimed that this conversation was evidence that Lee's camp ordered errands not only during holidays but also on family event days. It was reported that the day Mr. A visited Sunae-dong coincided with the lunar anniversary of Lee's mother's death.

Additionally, Mr. A stated, "There was a dedicated ledger at the fruit store, and if you said you were from Gyeonggi Province, you could just take the items." JTBC reported, based on Gyeonggi Province's business expense records, that the province purchased about 430,000 won worth of items from the fruit store under the name of 'visitor hospitality supplies.'

Regarding this, Gyeonggi Province explained, "We confirmed through expenditure resolutions and vouchers that purchases were made at the store and used for the intended purpose." However, they added, "We do not know specifically what was purchased."

The Democratic Party's election campaign committee stated, "The fruits and ancestral rite foods purchased with the secretary office's business expenses are unrelated," and clarified, "The ancestral rite foods were bought with the candidate's personal funds, paid in cash, so there are no receipts."