Kim Seonghwan: "If true that they ignored people's livelihood and held a drinking party until dawn, it is a second state corruption scandal"

Opposition Kim Seonghwan: "If Yoon and Han Donghoon’s late-night drinking party is true, it is a second state manipulation scandal"

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] On the 27th, Kim Seong-hwan, the Policy Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, directly criticized the late-night drinking party allegations against Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon raised by Assemblyman Kim Eui-gyeom, saying, "If true, this could be an enormous incident equivalent to a second political scandal."

The allegation mentioned by Chairman Kim refers to the claim Assemblyman Kim made during the comprehensive audit of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 24th, where he raised suspicions about a late-night drinking party involving President Yoon Seok-yeol and Minister Han. Assemblyman Kim asserted that Minister Han held a late-night drinking party at a high-end bar in Cheongdam-dong on July 19-20 this year with President Yoon and 30 lawyers from the law firm Kim & Chang.

At the policy coordination meeting that day, Chairman Kim stated, "The brother of the cellist who witnessed the drinking party admitted that the recorded transcript is accurate." He mentioned, "Kim & Chang is handling the Lone Star case and is representing the Japanese side in the forced labor issue related to Japan, so just meeting with Kim & Chang is problematic." He added, "Isn't neglecting people's livelihood and throwing drinking parties until dawn a sign of the Juche faction?" and urged, "If President Yoon and Minister Han are confident, they should disclose to the public their exact whereabouts and movements between July 19 and 20."

Lee Soo-jin, the floor spokesperson, told reporters after the meeting, "There was a phone call that the assemblyman received as a tip, and if no one is lying, the phone call's content is true," emphasizing, "It is natural for the party involved (Minister Han) to confirm the facts, which are not fabricated or manipulated."

Minister Han, in a statement that day, said, "The Democratic Party spread false information as if it were true by endorsing low-quality fake news," and demanded, "As a victim of false information dissemination, I request a sincere apology and responsible measures from the Democratic Party."