Who Is Kang Hye-kyung, the Key Witness in the 'Myeong Taegyun Gate'?

Former Lawmaker Kim Young-sun's Accounting Officer and Close Associate Myung Tae-gyun
Alleges Manipulation of Public Opinion Polls by Myung
Democratic Party Selects and Protects as Whistleblower No. 1

On the 21st, Kang Hye-kyung, who ignited suspicions of Kim Geon-hee's interference in candidate nominations, appeared as a witness before the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee and promised additional testimony. Kang raised allegations that Myung Tae-gyun, a key figure in the candidate nomination interference suspicions and a political broker, manipulated public opinion polls ahead of the People Power Party's presidential primary in November 2021 to produce results favorable to President Yoon Seok-yeol.

Kang was the accounting manager for former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun and an employee in charge of practical work at Mirae Hanguk Research Institute, a polling company effectively operated by Myung. He is also known as a former editor-in-chief of the media outlet 'Sisa Gyeongnam,' which was run by Myung. Political circles regard him as "Myung's man and closest aide." Although he worked in former lawmaker Kim's office, it is said that his relationship with the political world is not long-standing. A political insider said, "Having been in politics for over 30 years, I only came to know Kang after the Myung Tae-gyun suspicions spread," adding, "Although Kang is said to have worked in the lawmaker's office, very few party officials in the National Assembly actually know him."

On the 6th, Kang revealed his face and real name through a YouTube channel. In the interview, he disclosed a phone call recording, claiming that Myung conducted dozens of secret polls shortly before the presidential election in early 2022 and reported the results to Yoon Seok-yeol, then the People Power Party's presidential candidate. According to Kang, Myung conducted a detailed (public opinion) survey from February 28 to March 8, 2022, just before the presidential election. Kang stated, "Myung Tae-gyun called me, saying they were surveying with 3,000 to 5,000 samples and reporting to President Yoon daily," and added, "He instructed me to quickly prepare and submit the report because it had to be reported to (President Yoon)."

Attendance of Kang Hye-kyung
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Shin Jun-hee = Kang Hye-kyung, who raised allegations of 'nomination interference' by First Lady Kim Geon-hee, is attending as a witness at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee's inspection of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office held on the 21st. 2024.10.21
hama@yna.co.kr
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Kang said, "Around March 20 of the same year, shortly after the poll, Myung instructed me to prepare a settlement statement, which I took to Seoul," mentioning that the amount on the statement was about 360 million won. He explained, "Myung said he was going to Seoul to meet the presidential couple, so I put the documents in an envelope and gave them to him then." Kang said that Myung claimed he did not receive the 360 million won payment for the poll from the presidential couple and was subsequently deployed to the Changwon Special City Uichang District by-election. Ultimately, Kang asserted, "The payment for the public opinion poll was the price for Kim Young-sun's nomination." Former lawmaker Kim and Myung are under prosecution investigation for exchanging 63 million won two months after the 2022 by-election. Circumstantially, it is highly likely that money was exchanged as a price for the nomination. However, former lawmaker Kim and Myung deny this.

Political circles speculate that the public opinion poll manipulation allegations exposed by Kang could become the smoking gun for President Yoon's impeachment. The Democratic Party has designated Kang as the party's first protected whistleblower. Earlier, on the 4th, the Democratic Party's Supreme Council resolved to establish a Whistleblower Rights Protection Committee together with the Kim Geon-hee Family Corruption and State Manipulation Investigation and Judgment Headquarters. On the same day, lawyer Roh Young-hee, Kang's legal representative, stated, "Myung Tae-gyun reportedly told a reporter over the phone, 'If the People Power Party does not file a perjury charge against Kang Hye-kyung's National Assembly audit remarks, I will expose more public conversations,'" adding, "This is closely related to various accusations of complaint inducement that have been problematic within the People Power Party."