Appearance on JTBC Broadcast on the 17th
First Public Disclosure of Real Name
A lawyer who filed a public interest report with the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (PCA) regarding allegations of a 'rescue lobbying' involving former Marine Corps 1st Division Commander Im Seong-geun said he heard that "if former Black Pearl Invest CEO Lee Jong-ho opens his mouth, even the First Lady could be harmed."
Kim Gyu-hyun, the lawyer who reported the 'Cool Marine' group chat, appeared on JTBC broadcast on the 17th and revealed that Song, a former Blue House Security Office official, said this about former CEO Lee. Kim is also the defense attorney for former Marine Corps Investigation Unit Commander Park Jeong-hoon, who is currently on trial at the Central Military Court on charges of insubordination.
According to lawyer Kim, after learning that former CEO Lee was an accomplice in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case, he told Song, a Marine Corps senior. Song then said, "I know about this too," and added that "I am taking care of him in Yongsan," implying support for Lee.
Kim said, "I had several meetings with former CEO Lee and others afterward," and added, "At those meetings, he even said, 'We arranged the match between the President and Kim Geon-hee.'" He emphasized, "Based on the calls, situations, content, and expressions at the time, the rescue lobbying seemed credible and I had no choice but to believe it."
Regarding former CEO Lee's earlier statement that he had not contacted Mrs. Kim in the past 10 years, Kim refuted this by saying, "It did not seem like they had no contact for 10 years."
Additionally, he claimed that there was external pressure within the PCA related to the investigation of the 'Marine Corps Corporal Chae's line-of-duty death case.' During a witness interview on the 4th, PCA officials reportedly said, "We are trying hard to investigate, but you all know, we are under external pressure. There is obstruction to the investigation." The official also allegedly said, "Because of this (pressure), I even considered staging a one-person protest in front of the National Assembly."
In response to suspicions raised by some ruling party members that lawyer Kim's report was a 'leak operation from the opposition party,' he flatly denied it, saying, "I have never communicated with anyone." Regarding criticism that raising allegations as the defense attorney for Colonel Park constitutes a conflict of interest, he said, "The events happened before I became his lawyer," and added, "I do not think that speaking about what I experienced conflicts with clearing Colonel Park's grievances."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
