Lee Jun-seok Reform New Party Lawmaker Radio Interview
Mr. Kim Jin-woo Selected as Witness for Next Month's National Assembly Audit
"I Saw Him Being Called 'Oppa' Myself," Mentioned
On the 16th, the National Assembly's Steering Committee selected Kim Geon-hee's older brother, Kim Jin-woo, as a witness for the presidential office's audit scheduled for the 1st of next month. This is related to suspicions of 'relatives' involvement in state affairs.' Earlier, in the full meeting of the Steering Committee in August, the Democratic Party raised suspicions that Kim Jin-woo, Kim Geon-hee's older brother, had entered the Yongsan Presidential Office without authorization and attended some meetings. At that time, Presidential Secretary Jeong Jin-seok stated, "It is presumed to be fake news." In response, Democratic Party lawmaker Park Seong-jun said, "It would be a simple matter to check the presidential office entry records," leading to a dispute.
Regarding the suspicion, on the 17th, lawmaker Lee Jun-seok appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "There were many rumors about (the older brother)," adding, "There were gossip-like incidents heard around last year and the year before, but I did not feel it was worth verifying, so I did not check." Kim Jin-woo, the older brother, is currently on trial for charges including forgery of private documents related to preferential development suspicions in the Gongheung district of Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, where Kim Geon-hee's family land is concentrated.
However, lawmaker Lee Jun-seok was convinced that the 'older brother' mentioned in the KakaoTalk conversation between Kim Geon-hee and Myung Tae-gyun was President Yoon Seok-yeol, contrary to the Yongsan Presidential Office's explanation that it referred to her biological older brother. On the radio that day, Lee said, "Multiple witnesses, including Professor Jin Joong-kwon, have testified that they saw Kim Geon-hee using the term 'older brother' to refer to President Yoon. The presidential office's explanation that 'this older brother is not that older brother but the biological older brother' is very regrettable."
"Elections Are Family Business" - Past Remarks by President Yoon Resurface
Meanwhile, immediately after the KakaoTalk conversation between Myung and Kim Geon-hee was made public, the presidential office promptly explained, "The 'older brother' appearing in the chat is not the president but her biological older brother." This prompted criticism not only from the Democratic Party but also from the People Power Party, saying, "It is problematic whether it is the president or the older brother."
Shortly after the KakaoTalk conversation between Mr. Myung and Mrs. Kim was made public, the Presidential Office immediately clarified, "The 'oppa' mentioned in the chat is not the president but his biological older brother." In response, both the Democratic Party and the People Power Party pointed out, "It is problematic whether it is the president or the older brother." [Photo by Yonhap News]
Kim Geon-hee herself has also mentioned circumstances indicating that her older brother Kim played a key role in Yoon Seok-yeol's presidential campaign. In a phone call with a reporter from 'Seoul's Voice' at the end of July 2021, just before Yoon joined the People Power Party, Kim said, "(In the office) there are a few people, including my older brother. If instructions come from here, they organize the entire campaign," which was revealed through a '7-hour recorded call' in January 2022.
Among these, following the presidential office's explanation of 'biological older brother,' President Yoon's remark during his presidential campaign that "elections are a 'family business'" has also been brought up. During the primary election in October 2021, Yoon sparked controversy with remarks defending Jeon Du-hwan and expressed regret. Shortly after his apology, a photo titled 'feeding an apology to a dog' related to Yoon's social media was posted. This led to criticism within the People Power Party, with some saying, "Is the apology meant only for dogs?" At that time, when asked if Kim Geon-hee had planned this, Yoon said, "My wife does not know about such things," but also mentioned, "Isn't election, as the saying goes, a 'family business'?"
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