Myeong Taegyun Claims Involvement of Transition Team and Campaign Personnel
Myeong Tae-gyun, a key figure suspected of interfering in Kim Geon-hee's nomination, claimed that he was the one who recommended Lim Tae-hee, the Superintendent of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, to the Presidential Transition Committee and asserted that he was involved in the committee's personnel appointments. Superintendent Lim served as a special advisor to the president-elect in 2022.
President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee, who visited Singapore, are saluting the national flag at the luncheon meeting with compatriots held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on the afternoon of the 9th (local time). Photo by Yonhap News
On the 14th, Myeong appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and gave an almost affirmative answer when asked by the host whether he had advised President Yoon and his wife after the presidential election.
He said, "After the presidential election, the president and the first lady said they might go to Yongsan or the Blue House, but I said, 'I don't want to go.' They told me to come to the transition committee and interview people." He added, "During the campaign, they occasionally asked me whether to hire someone or not, and none of the people I reviewed and analyzed caused any trouble."
He continued, "Do you know who looked at that person's (Superintendent Lim's) resume? It was me." He said, "(Lim served as Chief of Staff during the MB administration) ? there must be likes and dislikes, right? The president and the first lady wouldn't know that. I was the one who looked at the resume and made that (recommendation)."
Myeong claimed that his first visit to President Yoon's residence, Acro Vista, was on June 18, 2021. At that time, he said he played a significant role in the election of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok, and as a result, Yoon's side requested meetings with him, leading to frequent contact over the next six months.
Myeong said, "We talked on the phone almost every day without fail, and several times during the day." When asked if President Yoon and his wife asked about the timing of joining the People Power Party, he replied, "They have to listen together, so I get calls every morning on speakerphone."
Regarding Myeong's claim that Kim Jae-won, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, was involved in candidate unification during the last presidential election, Kim denied the claim. Myeong retorted, "Ask Kim Jae-won. Has he ever been to Kobana Contents? Has he ever been to the Acro Vista presidential residence?" He added, "Does a dog tied outside know how a pet dog lives inside the house?"
Concerning the leak of the list of 570,000 People Power Party members, which could be a violation of the Political Funds Act, Myeong said, "The Future Korea Research Institute has nothing to do with me." He explained, "I handed over the company five years ago. I helped with some business, but someone related to Hong Joon-pyo's campaign requested it, and I just connected them."
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