Park Chan-dae, Yoon President and Myeong Tae-gyun Recording Released: "Told Kim Young-sun to Do It" (Update)

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, held an emergency press conference at the National Assembly on the 31st to release a recording of a phone call between President Yoon Seok-yeol and Myung Tae-kyun. According to the transcript, on May 9, 2022, President Yoon told Mr. Myung, "The Public Office Committee brought it to me, so I said since former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun worked hard from the primary election, give it to former lawmaker Kim," Park said.

Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, disclosed the contents of a phone call between President Yoon Seok-yeol and Mr. Myeong Tae-gyun regarding allegations of the president's interference in candidate nominations on the 31st.

Park held an emergency press conference at the National Assembly that morning and stated, "The Democratic Party has secured concrete evidence proving the president's interference in candidate nominations."

The recording released by the Democratic Party contains President Yoon saying, "The nomination committee brought it to me, so I said, 'Since Kim Young-sun worked hard during the primary, let Kim Young-sun handle that (nomination).'"

According to the Democratic Party, the call is believed to have taken place just before former lawmaker Kim Young-sun received the nomination for the June 2022 by-elections.

Previously, former lawmaker Kim Young-sun was nominated for Changwon Uichang in South Gyeongsang Province during the by-elections and was elected. Opposition parties have continuously raised suspicions that Mr. Myeong and First Lady Kim Keon-hee intervened in the nomination process.

Park said, "In the recording obtained by the Democratic Party, Mr. Myeong clearly referred to President Yoon Seok-yeol as a 'blind warrior,'" adding, "It was confirmed in the recording that First Lady Kim Keon-hee calls President Yoon 'oppa' (older brother)."