[New Release] A Showdown with Lee Jae-myung
"First, they conceal. Second, they manipulate. In the third stage, they neutralize the organizations meant to investigate and prosecute these matters. (Omitted) Throughout the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration, there was no Special Inspector General. How did they handle power-related crimes and economic crimes? They incapacitated the investigative agencies."
On the night of May 9th, accountant Kim Kyung-yul appeared as a witness at the National Assembly confirmation hearing for Han Dong-hoon, the nominee for Minister of Justice, and made these remarks. He unleashed a candid statement against the Democratic Party, which had become the opposition this year. His voice, hands, and feet trembled simultaneously.
Kim himself says he is "not strong-hearted." Fighting against great power is always frightening. However, he has been at the forefront of uncovering political and economic power corruption. Representative cases include the Samsung Biologics accounting fraud and the DAS slush fund scandal. Having served as co-executive director of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and director of the Economic and Financial Center, he currently leads the civic group Economic Democracy 21. Even after the Moon Jae-in government took office, he publicized various suspicions during the Cho Kuk and Yoon Mee-hyang incidents, regardless of political camps. He says that 80% of his personal network fell away during this process.
Nevertheless, he could not silence his voice against the injustice before his eyes. The 'record' in this book is no different. The subject is Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party and a leading presidential candidate of the major opposition party. The book investigates five judicial risks surrounding Lee: ▲Kim Hye-kyung’s illegal use of corporate credit cards ▲Daejang-dong development project ▲Baekhyeon-dong development project ▲Ssangbangwool lawyer fee payment allegations ▲Seongnam FC corporate sponsorship.
Kim was the first to publicize the Daejang-dong suspicion case through SNS and media reports. The book is co-written with Professor Seo Min, a physician and parasitologist who collaborated with him on 'A Country Never Experienced Before: The Black Book on Cho Kuk' (2020). While Kim uses his expertise to argue related suspicions through numbers and logic, Professor Seo explains them in an easy and enjoyable language. This makes the book a valuable guide for readers who feel the overall picture is unclear despite the daily flood of reports. The materials Kim presented via SNS and media are also clearly compiled.
"Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is hostile intent. So if three incidents targeting you occur, it’s time to believe someone is after you." This quote from Elizabeth Moon’s 'Speed of Darkness' is cited in the book. Four key figures related to Lee’s suspicions suddenly passed away: Yoo Han-gi, former head of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation; Kim Moon-gi, former head of Development Project Division 1 at the same corporation; whistleblower Lee, who alleged lawyer fee payments; and A, a witness in the investigation of Lee’s spouse Kim Hye-kyung’s corporate card misuse. Lee says he "did not know" Kim Moon-gi and others. However, photos of Kim Moon-gi traveling on a business trip to Australia and New Zealand with Lee were also released.
Kim repeatedly points out in the book that various suspicions are covered up and packaged with lies. He worries that politicians’ lies mislead voters into making wrong judgments, distorting election results. Explaining why he wrote the book, he asks:
"A more systematic and professional book about (Lee) seems necessary. If a book comes out that anyone can nod in agreement with (omitted), might the Democratic Party become a productive party that cares about people’s livelihoods?"
Face-off with Lee Jae-myung | Written by Kim Kyung-yul & Seo Min | Millennium Imagination | 328 pages | 19,500 KRW
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