[2024 National Audit] Public Administration Committee's Heated Debate on 'Kim Geon-hee Nomination Interference Allegation'... Opposition "State Manipulation" Ruling Party "Mrs. Kim's Doing"

On the 10th, the ruling and opposition parties clashed over allegations of Kim Geon-hee's interference in candidate nominations during the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee's audit of the National Election Commission. The opposition criticized it as a state power abuse involving Kim Geon-hee through Myung Tae-gyun, while the People Power Party distanced itself, claiming the allegations were unrelated to the Presidential Office.

Park Jeong-hyun, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated during the audit, "Mr. Myung used illegal opinion polls to establish a relationship with President Yoon and his wife during the last presidential election and requested candidate nominations for Kim Young-seon, former People Power Party lawmaker, through Mrs. Kim for by-elections and general elections," adding, "Mrs. Kim influenced the People Power Party's nomination management committee in the last general election."

Another member of the same party, Lee Kwang-hee, said, "The interview where (Mr. Myung) said, 'If I get in, this regime will collapse in a month' is a threat to the president, prosecution, South Korea, and its people," expressing suspicion that "this might be a second state power abuse."

Jeong Chun-saeng, a member of the Innovation Party for Justice, claimed that Mr. Myung's settlement of opinion poll costs violated the Political Funds Act. He emphasized, "After the election, Mr. Myung visited President-elect Yoon and his wife to settle opinion poll costs but instead brought the nomination rights for Kim Young-seon in the 2022 Changwon Uichang by-election. At that time, candidate Yoon received opinion polls worth 370 million KRW free of charge from Mr. Myung, which helped form a dominant narrative. According to a professional lawyer's advice, this constitutes a violation of the Political Funds Act."

On the other hand, the ruling party maintains that the connection between Mr. Myung and Mrs. Kim is merely an allegation. Kim Jong-yang, a People Power Party lawmaker, dismissed the issue, saying, "This allegation is not about the president or Mrs. Kim interfering in nominations but a case where a politician and a braggart collaborated to benefit themselves by exploiting the president and Mrs. Kim."

Lee Seong-gwon, from the same party, warned against spreading the suspicion, stating, "Taking the words of a broker like Mr. Myung as truth is problematic. It is not appropriate to grant credibility to a boastful, delusional broker and treat two truths as ten."

They also highlighted the judicial risks of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party. Jo Eun-hee, a People Power Party lawmaker, said, "Lee Jae-myung's violation of the Public Official Election Act was indicted on September 8, 2022, but the first trial verdict will be delivered only on the 15th of next month, more than two years later. Usually, the first trial should be completed within six months," adding, "If Lee is confirmed to receive a sentence invalidating his election, the Democratic Party must return the 43.4 billion KRW election expenses it received, and public funds should not be wasted."

Meanwhile, the Public Administration and Security Committee, led by the opposition, passed a motion to issue a summons for Myung Tae-gyun and former lawmaker Kim Young-seon, who did not appear as witnesses that day. Shin Jeong-hoon, chairman of the committee from the Democratic Party, said in the morning, "As of now, a summons is issued to bring the witnesses to the audit," and requested, "The National Assembly security officers should immediately execute the summons for witnesses Kim Young-seon and Myung Tae-gyun."