Kim Daenam's Side "Sorry for Causing Controversy"
Recording Contains "Devil's Editing"
Ruling Party "Ethics Committee Investigation and Legal Advisory Group's Legal Review Underway"
On the 2nd, Kim Dae-nam, former Acting Secretary for Citizen Communication at the Presidential Office (currently Standing Auditor at SGI Seoul Guarantee Insurance Corporation), who is suspected of instructing a left-wing YouTuber to attack Han Dong-hoon, then a leading candidate for the People Power Party's leadership ahead of the July 23 party convention, resigned from the party. Kim's side claimed that the YouTuber had maliciously edited the content, but the People Power Party plans to proceed with a fact-finding investigation regardless of his resignation.
Kim's legal representative, lawyer Yoo Jeong-hwa, issued a statement to the media on the same day, expressing sincere apologies to Han Dong-hoon, the party officials leading the People Power Party, and all party members for causing this entire controversy, and announced that Kim had decided to leave the party.
According to the recording, Kim told a YouTuber from the left-wing channel Seoul Voice, "Mrs. Kim Geon-hee is trying to die because of candidate Han," and said, "If we plan well this time and hit (Han Dong-hoon), Mrs. Kim will be pleased." He claimed that Han had used party membership fees for the April 10 general election poll to conduct his own presidential recognition survey, calling it "embezzlement in corporate terms."
Kim's side also stated regarding the recording, "The party's primary election period occurred after Kim had already left the Presidential Office and joined the People Power Party," and added, "This started from a malicious approach disguised as intimacy by a reporter and a certain YouTube media outlet with the purpose of devilish editing, unrelated to the Presidential Office or any specific politician. Therefore, the party and government falling into conflict would only mean moving exactly as they want."
The People Power Party initially planned to consider disciplinary actions such as expulsion through the party's Ethics Committee against former administrative officer Kim after the fact-finding investigation. However, since Kim announced his resignation first, applying disciplinary measures has become practically impossible. Nonetheless, the party intends to continue the investigation regardless of Kim's resignation.
Leader Han instructed Secretary-General Seo Beom-su to conduct an Ethics Committee investigation into Kim, which is currently underway. Seo told reporters at the National Assembly on the same day, "We will form the Ethics Committee and start the investigation within this week."
Senior Spokesperson Kwak Gyu-taek also told reporters, "Even if he resigns, since these actions were taken while he was a party member, an Ethics Committee investigation can certainly be conducted. Even if we cannot take measures."
Alongside the Ethics Committee investigation, the party's legal advisory group plans to conduct a legal review regarding Kim and others. Senior Spokesperson Kwak explained, "The party's legal advisory group is reviewing follow-up measures. It could be defamation against Leader Han, and since it was during the party convention period, we will also consider obstruction of business and other matters."
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