Minju, President Yoon and Myung Taekyun Recording Released: "Told Kim Youngseon to Do It"

Park Chandae Urgent Press Conference "An Issue That Shook the Constitutional Order"
Kim Youngseon Former Lawmaker Nominated Just One Day After Yoon's Call

Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced on the 31st, "For the first time, the voice proving President Yoon Seok-yeol's interference in candidate selection has been confirmed," and released the contents of a phone call presumed to be between President Yoon and Mr. Myeong Tae-gyun.

Park held an emergency press conference at the National Assembly that morning and said, "The unbelievable claims and messages that followed the Myeong Tae-gyun incident have been proven true."

According to the transcript released by the Democratic Party, President Yoon said to Mr. Myeong on May 9, 2022, "The nomination committee brought it to me, so I said, 'Kim Young-sun worked hard during the primary, so let Kim Young-sun handle that.'"

Park stated, "And on the next day, May 10, the People Power Party actually nominated former lawmaker Kim Young-sun," adding, "This is irrefutable evidence that President Yoon illegally interfered in the candidate selection and that there was a candidate selection deal, proving a serious matter that shakes the constitutional order." Park emphasized, "Some within the ruling party are trying to shift blame by calling for an apology from First Lady Kim Geon-hee, her restraint from activities, or the appointment of a special inspector, but this clearly shows that such attempts are impossible."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also said, "Other recordings obtained by the Democratic Party are full of content showing that President Yoon's illegal acts were carried out by First Lady Kim Geon-hee," and added, "There is even content where Mr. Myeong states that First Lady Kim Geon-hee was beside President Yoon during the call when his voice was recorded."

The Democratic Party regards the recordings as highly credible. Regarding the authenticity of the audio files, Park replied, "The party took responsibility and verified them." He also emphasized, "We have been verifying and preparing this for a long time," and said, "This is the result of the Democratic Party's efforts to find evidence of President Yoon's interference in candidate selection, including operating a public interest reporting center."

The Democratic Party has also secured additional transcripts beyond those revealed that day. Park Sung-jun, the Democratic Party's senior deputy floor leader, said, "We plan to release the transcripts later and provide explanations about the content." However, he stated that the identity of the whistleblower cannot be disclosed and that procedures to protect the whistleblower's identity are currently underway.

Based on these transcripts, the Democratic Party is expected to further pressure the government and ruling party to accept the special investigation law concerning First Lady Kim Geon-hee. However, they showed a cautious response regarding the possibility of impeachment. Park said, "I think it is probably a matter for the people to judge," drawing a line. Democratic Party lawmaker Noh Jong-myeon also said, "It is urgent to check public opinion on how the people view impeachment," adding, "It will not be easy to hear discussions about impeachment from party officials."