Myeong Taekyun's 'Kim Yeo-sa' KakaoTalk Exposure Sparks Ruling Party Backlash... "Is Your Brother More Important?"

Pro-President Yoon Faction: "Presidential Office Explanation Is Correct"
Pro-Korean Faction: "Why Did You Contact Mr. Myung?"
With Second Exposure Promised and Suspicions of Election Manipulation,
People Power Party Faces Internal Anxiety

After Myung Tae-gyun, who is identified as a key figure in the allegations of Kim Geon-hee's interference in candidate nominations and manipulation of opinion polls, partially disclosed KakaoTalk conversations with Mrs. Kim, tremors have been felt within the People Power Party. The Presidential Office clarified that the term 'oppa' appearing in the conversations between Myung and Mrs. Kim refers not to President Yoon Seok-yeol but to her biological older brother (Kim Jin-woo), and the pro-Yoon faction is backing the Presidential Office's explanation. On the other hand, the pro-Han faction points out that the important issue is not who 'oppa' refers to but the circumstances under which Myung made contact.

People Power Party lawmakers appeared on various broadcasting radio programs on the 16th, the day of the by-elections for basic local government heads, to express their views on the seriousness of the KakaoTalk content between Myung and Mrs. Kim, aiming to minimize the spread of the controversy.

Both the pro-Yoon and pro-Han factions agree that "who 'oppa' is does not matter." However, the pro-Yoon faction defends the Presidential Office's explanation, while the pro-Han faction expresses doubts.

Pro-Yoon faction lawmaker Kang Myung-gu and former Youth Supreme Council member Jang Ye-chan defended the Presidential Office on the same day. Kang said on SBS Radio, "(Myung) says, 'I made the president, I made the party leader, I made the Seoul mayor,' and 'I made the members of the National Assembly,'" adding, "I have never heard of this person, I do not have his contact information, and I have never met him," denying Myung's influence.

If Myung had exerted direct influence on President Yoon and his wife, Kang argued, he, who carried out the president's official and unofficial schedules, would not have been unaware. Kang was in charge of the president's schedules and messages from June 2021, right after Yoon declared his political participation, until the end of December last year, serving as the Secretary for National Policy Planning at the Presidential Office.

Former Supreme Council member Jang also explained on CBS Radio, "I have never heard Mrs. Kim refer to President Yoon as 'oppa,'" adding, "She uses expressions that maintain a certain level of formality."

On the other hand, Kim Jong-hyuk, a Supreme Council member from the pro-Han faction, said on MBC Radio that "even if he was her biological older brother, it is suspicious," and pointed out, "I hope the Presidential Office's explanation is correct, but if it turns out to be false, trust will be completely shattered."

Shin Ji-ho, Deputy Head of Strategic Planning, appeared on Channel A's YouTube and said, "According to the information I have heard, it seems he is indeed the biological older brother," but questioned, "Whether 'oppa' refers to the president or the biological older brother is not the essential issue. Why would the biological older brother be involved in such matters, and why is he in contact with Myung?"

Myung mentioned that there are more KakaoTalk conversations with Mrs. Kim, causing anxiety within the party about potential additional revelations. On the 15th, in interviews with CBS and other media, Myung referred to Supreme Council member Kim Jae-won attacking him and mentioned the KakaoTalk conversations with Mrs. Kim, warning, "There are about 2,000 pages, including those involving President Yoon. I will continue until Kim Jae-won apologizes." He also stated that he could disclose 'public conversations' in addition to the 'private conversations' that the Presidential Office claimed.

Furthermore, allegations have surfaced that opinion polls were manipulated during the 2021 People Power Party presidential primary, prompting the ruling party to announce an internal audit to manage the situation.

Earlier, on the 10th, Roh Jong-myeon, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, raised suspicions that Myung interfered in opinion polls during the People Power Party presidential primary. Under current election laws, the party member lists and virtual phone numbers (safe numbers) collected for internal primaries are prohibited from being leaked outside the candidate camps.

It is alleged that the Mirae Korea Research Institute, operated by Myung, conducted opinion polls for the next presidential election targeting 117,829 and 139,156 People Power Party members on October 19-20 and 21, 2021, respectively.

Seo Beom-su, Secretary-General of the People Power Party, told reporters at the National Assembly that Myung was confirmed to be an ordinary party member and that an internal audit committee would be formed to investigate the facts. He explained, "During the investigation, things will get tangled, and when one thing is found, it connects to another, so there is no excuse not to investigate," indicating that there will be no limits on the scope of the investigation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]