[Q&A] Park Chan-dae "Confirmed President Yoon Seok-yeol's Intervention in Nomination"...Call Contents Released

Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 31st stated, "For the first time, a voice recording 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, "Claims and hearsay that were hard to believe following the Myeong Tae-gyun incident have been proven true."

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

Park said, "And the next day, on May 10, the People Power Party actually nominated former lawmaker Kim Young-seon," adding, "This is irrefutable evidence that President Yoon illegally interfered in the candidate selection and that there was a nomination deal, proving a serious matter that shakes the constitutional order."

The Democratic Party believes the phone call took place just before former lawmaker Kim was nominated for the June 2022 by-elections. In fact, Kim was nominated for the Changwon Uichang district in Gyeongnam and was elected in that by-election. Park emphasized, "Some within the ruling party try to shift blame by citing First Lady Kim Keon-hee's apology, her restraint from activities, or the appointment of a special inspector, but this clearly shows that such attempts are impossible."

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

The Democratic Party considers the credibility of the recording to be quite high. When asked about the authenticity of the audio file, Park responded, "The party took responsibility and verified it." He also emphasized, "We have been verifying and preparing this for a long time," and "This is the result of the Democratic Party's efforts, including operating a public interest reporting center, to find concrete evidence of President Yoon's interference in candidate selection."

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

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending an emergency press conference held at the National Assembly on the 31st. Through the press conference, Floor Leader Park disclosed the recorded phone conversation between President Yoon Seok-yeol and Mr. Myeong Tae-gyun. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Below is a Q&A with Floor Leader Park Chan-dae and other Democratic Party floor leaders

Q. Has the authenticity of the audio recording been verified?

A. The party took responsibility and verified it.

Q. Can the identity of the whistleblower be revealed?

A. It will not be disclosed at this time. Procedures to protect the identity are underway. We have verified this content for a long time and prepared extensively. I believe this is clear evidence that can completely dispel all doubts and hearsay regarding Mr. Myeong Tae-gyun, President Yoon Seok-yeol, and First Lady Kim Keon-hee's interference in candidate selection.

Q. The released recording seems to be a third-party transcript. The ruling party may raise issues about the leak route.

A. I understand that it has been legally reviewed. We have confirmed that there are no issues regarding this matter.

Q. Do you think this constitutes grounds for presidential impeachment?

A. I think it is a matter for the public to judge.

Q. You mentioned that it was obtained a long time ago. What is the exact timing and subsequent procedures?

A. We are currently reviewing it. This is included in the investigation scope of the special prosecutor law concerning Kim Keon-hee. If the prosecution does not investigate, it will naturally be subject to special prosecutor investigation. For protection reasons, it is better not to disclose the exact time of acquisition.

Q. Is there any issue with the statute of limitations?

A. It has obviously been suspended, and since there is a possibility of violation of the Political Parties Act and other legal grounds, we assess that the statute of limitations is sufficient.

Q. How do you view the content related to ministers?

A. Related content will be disclosed later along with explanations. The Myeong Tae-gyun gate investigation team can be called the Kim Keon-hee and Yoon Seok-yeol gate by the same name. We will thoroughly investigate the facts and hold those responsible accountable through the investigation team.