Pro-Yoon Faction Launches Full-Scale Defense of President Yoon: "No Legal Issues" · "Reckless Exposures"

Yeo-led Efforts to Block Impeachment Crisis
Some in the Ruling Party Say "It's Embarrassing"
Han Representative Remains Silent for Second Day

After the phone call between President Yoon Seok-yeol and Mr. Myeong Taekyun, pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol) figures have been making every effort to defend him by stating that "there is no legal issue." As the fallout from the allegations of interference in candidate selection spirals out of control, it is interpreted as an intention to prevent the political situation from moving toward an impeachment phase against President Yoon.

On the morning of the same day, after the National Assembly's audit countermeasures meeting, Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho said regarding the allegations of President Yoon's interference in candidate selection, "I understand that the legal issues were primarily addressed by the members of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee. That is currently the party's position."

Members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the People Power Party stated that the phone call between President Yoon and Mr. Myeong took place on May 9, 2022, before President Yoon's inauguration, and therefore does not constitute a violation of the Public Official Election Act, which prohibits public officials from using their position to interfere in elections.

Yoo Sang-beom, the ruling party's Legislation and Judiciary Committee whip, said at the meeting, "Unlike former President Moon Jae-in, President Yoon did not mobilize Blue House staff, order the police to conduct directed investigations, or attempt to bribe intra-party competitors to fulfill a personal wish of electing a '30-year-old friend.' The Democratic Party should judge whether these actions constitute legal violations before obsessing over the president's impeachment with baseless propaganda."

Handonghun, leader of the People Power Party, and Chugyeongho, floor leader, are attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 31st. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Earlier, Representative Kwon Seong-dong also defended President Yoon to reporters immediately after the meeting of senior lawmakers with four or more terms chaired by Floor Leader Choo, saying, "From the perspective of the president, who is the party's number one member, or the president-elect, it is natural to express his political opinions."

Representative Kang Myung-gu, a former secretary for national planning at the presidential office, also criticized at the National Assembly's Steering Committee audit, "The Democratic Party's political tactics, which involve unilaterally summoning witnesses to embarrass and verbally abuse in the audit to protect Lee Jae-myung's father, and now resorting to reckless disclosures since those tactics no longer work, are killing people and constitute violence."

Issues were also raised regarding the permissibility of recording phone calls. Representative Kwon mentioned on CBS Radio the process by which the phone call between President Yoon and Mr. Myeong was recorded, questioning, "Is it really appropriate to continue allowing phone call recordings like this?" He pointed out, "Under German law, recording a phone call without the consent of the other party is considered illegal, but in our country, it is regarded as legal."

This is interpreted as a strategy to prevent the opposition party's push for impeachment by arguing that the situation with President Yoon is different from that of former President Park Geun-hye, who was sentenced to two years in prison for interference in candidate selection during her term.

On the other hand, some within the ruling party have expressed feelings of shame and despair. Kim Jae-seop, a junior member of the People Power Party, criticized on SBS Radio, "No matter what anyone says, hearing the president's own voice and the fact that the conversation directly involved candidate selection makes me feel very ashamed and devastated. Since when did we reach a point where we have to debate the legality of the president's mistakes or faults to determine right or wrong?"

However, Han Dong-hoon, the party leader who proposed reform measures including the appointment procedure for a special inspector at his 100-day press conference on the 30th of last month, has remained silent for two consecutive days since yesterday. When reporters asked for his stance on the release of the recording after yesterday's Supreme Council meeting and a forum on institutional improvements for normalizing public opinion polls, he did not respond, and he has not made any statements on Facebook as of today.

With the release of the phone call transcript between President Yoon and Mr. Myeong rendering the special inspector card ineffective and the likelihood of further allegations emerging, it appears the ruling party will contemplate ways to resolve the adverse situation they face. Supreme Council member Kim Jong-hyuk mentioned on YTN Radio yesterday, "It feels like a new chapter is beginning, and on the other hand, the talk about the special inspector seems to have become trivialized."