Board of Audit and Inspection: "Defense Research Institute Illegally Supported Lee Jae-myung's Presidential Campaign Promises"

Dismissal of Director Kim Yuntae and Request for Prosecutor Investigation
"Discussion of Lee's Pledge in Telegram Hiking Chatroom"

The Korea Defense Research Institute under the Ministry of National Defense was found to have illegally supported the establishment of campaign pledges for Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate, during the 2021 presidential election.

On the 31st, the Board of Audit and Inspection announced through its audit report titled 'Investigation of Reported Corruption Cases, etc.' that it confirmed such issues with the Defense Research Institute and requested the dismissal of Director Kim Yoon-tae.

Kim Yoon-tae, Director of the Korea Defense Research Institute [Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the report, in March 2021, Director Kim received a request from Mr. A, the deputy director of the Sejong Institute, in the Telegram group chat 'Bukhansan Hiking Club' to develop defense policy pledges for candidate Lee Jae-myung. Mr. A, a former Ministry of National Defense official, was involved in Lee’s presidential campaign. Subsequently, Director Kim played a role in developing and advising on election pledges for Mr. A and recommended and introduced employees from the Defense Research Institute.

Director Kim called Research Fellow Mr. B from the Defense Research Institute to his office and introduced him to Mr. A, saying, "Mr. A is helping Lee Jae-myung’s presidential campaign, so please assist him well." He also instructed Mr. B to carefully review documents related to Lee’s military recruitment pledge brought by Mr. A. The Board of Audit and Inspection revealed that other employees of the Defense Research Institute also assisted in developing Lee’s pledges under Director Kim’s instructions.

During the investigation, the Board of Audit and Inspection secured statements that the Telegram chat room 'Bukhansan Hiking Club,' mainly composed of defense-related personnel, gradually evolved into a campaign group for Lee’s election. In this chat room, Director Kim and members of Lee’s campaign exchanged documents and opinions related to pledges and even held video conferences.

It was also investigated that Director Kim prepared documents that Lee had to submit to the National Election Commission, formatted under titles such as "Application of Advanced Science and Technology in the 4th Industrial Revolution Era, Construction of a Future-Oriented Strong Military."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the continuation of the first trial for violation of the Public Official Election Act held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 8th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The Board of Audit and Inspection stated, "Director Kim and other executives and employees of the Defense Research Institute violated the Public Official Election Act by participating in the development of election pledges for a specific candidate, thereby influencing the election," and requested the Ministry of National Defense to dismiss Director Kim. The Board also requested disciplinary actions against other employees and sent reference materials regarding the charges against Director Kim and others to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, requesting an investigation.

The Ministry of National Defense stated that it is taking necessary measures following the audit results. The Ministry is currently proceeding with the dismissal process for Director Kim, whose term ends in April. A Ministry official explained, "We are currently conducting procedures to select a successor for the Defense Research Institute director. If the dismissal of Director Kim is decided before then, the deputy director will act as the interim director."