Presidential Office: "Yoon, 3 Million Won Monthly Party Fee... Wouldn't He Have Something to Say as a Party Member?"

"Specific Candidate Brought Up Alliance Talk, Actually Told the Truth"... On Party Affairs Interference Controversy, "It's a Matter of Fact"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] On the 6th, the Presidential Office responded to the controversy over President Yoon Seok-yeol's interference in party affairs by stating, "President Yoon pays 3 million won in party dues per month," adding, "He pays ten times the 300,000 won monthly dues of a National Assembly member, so how could a party member president not have a say?" In particular, regarding criticism aimed at Assemblyman Ahn Cheol-soo, the Presidential Office clarified, "This is not an issue of party affairs but a matter of facts and factual accuracy."

A key official from the Presidential Office met with reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the same day and said, "A certain candidate talks about forming an alliance with President Yoon, but there is no such alliance. Shouldn't that fact be made clear?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Specifically, the official explained, "There is a party member named Hong Gil-dong in the People Power Party. This person can express his opinions regarding party affairs," adding, "The president pays 3 million won per month, 36 million won per year in party dues. He pays ten times more than a National Assembly member." This was to explain that President Yoon, as a member of the People Power Party, can have a certain level of voice.

However, criticism of Assemblyman Ahn was limited to the "fact issue" regarding his mention of the 'Yoon-Ahn alliance.' The official emphasized, "When we talk about election interference, it is under the Public Official Election Act, but the party convention is not an event organized by the National Election Commission," and stressed, "It is not clear that this constitutes election interference."

The Presidential Office had previously expressed that Assemblyman Ahn's mention of the 'Yoon-Ahn alliance' was an inappropriate remark. The office also issued a warning message, saying, "We hope such incidents do not happen again." The key official told reporters on the day, "Assemblyman Ahn Cheol-soo should well understand that equating the president, who is devoted to national governance, with himself and dragging him into a campaign is very inappropriate." This was in response to Ahn recently bringing up the 'Yoon-Ahn alliance' by mentioning unification with President Yoon in the presidential election and his role as the chair of the Presidential Transition Committee. The official added, "We believe other candidates feel the same way," and "We hope such incidents do not happen again."

Earlier, President Yoon warned, "Those who try to gain political advantage by using the baseless term ‘Yoon Core Group’ will be recognized as obstacles and enemies to national governance." This was in response to Assemblyman Ahn's appearance on a YouTube channel on the 3rd, where he mentioned the Yoon Core Group and said, "Those people do not care about the president's safety; their next nomination is what matters to them." Recently, President Yoon also told his aides, "(The Yoon Core Group) is not something responsible politicians in the party should say." In particular, President Yoon expressed, "I am willing to accept sound criticism about those around the president," but also revealed his inner thoughts, saying, "Isn't the term Yoon Core Group an expression meant to directly attack and insult the president?"