SNS Reveals Source of Text Message Verification
No Contact with Candidate Han Dong-hoon for 6 Months
"Denied Doing It Due to Opposition, Seems No Intention to Apologize" Post Also
Regarding the text message controversy shaking the People Power Party's leadership election, Jin Joong-kwon, a special professor at Kwangwoon University who has been fact-checking the issue, revealed on the 10th that the confirmed source was not Han Dong-hoon, the People Power Party leadership candidate, but First Lady Kim Geon-hee. He said he had a nearly one-hour phone call with Kim and heard related details. He also disclosed that Kim explained her failure to issue a public apology regarding the luxury handbag bribery allegations was due to "discouragement from those around her."
On the same day, Professor Jin disclosed the circumstances under which he confirmed the text messages between First Lady Kim and Chairman Han through social media (SNS) and shared the content of his phone call with Kim. He said, "When I said 'I confirmed it myself,' it seems that the comment troops, following Won Hee-ryong and Lee Cheol-gyu, spread the baseless lie that the problematic texts were leaked by Han Dong-hoon's side," adding, "'I confirmed it myself' means I directly heard it from the person involved in the matter, First Lady Kim Geon-hee."
Professor Jin, who introduced that he spoke with Kim for about 57 minutes, said the recent text message controversy "was all revealed back then." However, he mentioned that the explanation for why Kim did not apologize was different. Although he did not disclose the exact timing of the call, it is estimated to have been around May.
Professor Jin said, "At that time, the First Lady said that the failure to apologize to the public was entirely her responsibility," and "She was willing to apologize, but those around her strongly discouraged it. The logic was that once she apologized, she would have to keep apologizing in the future, and eventually, the regime could be endangered (so they discouraged the apology)." He also introduced the call content, saying, "I know that among the people around me (Kim), there are those who only look after their personal interests. In the end, I feel sorry to everyone because I think I ruined the general election. Chairman Han must have been very angry. I want to reconcile Chairman Han and the President even now. I hope you help me."
Based on this conversation, Professor Jin said, "At that time, the responsibility for refusing to apologize to the public was entirely hers (Kim), and that wrong decision was due to the strong insistence of those around her. But within two months, the narrative in that circle completely reversed 180 degrees," adding, "It is absurd to claim that the reason she could not apologize was because of Han Dong-hoon."
He also mocked the view that sees him as an advisory group member for Chairman Han by pointing out Han's identity. He said, "It was actually the First Lady who, shaking the conservative identity, sought advice by having a 57-minute call with a fake leftist, and I have never even exchanged a simple greeting text with Chairman Han during the six months around the general election."
He further cited media reports through a separate SNS that Kim had circulated a stance of being unable to apologize to those around her, then stated, "In the end, she made excuses to me about those around her, but isn't it true that she herself had no intention to apologize?"
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