Sufficient Physical Evidence Including Kang Hye-kyung's Testimony and Audio Files
If It Is Revealed That the Sitting President and Spouse Interfered in Candidate Selection
The Fallout Could Be Uncontrollable... Prosecutors in a Difficult Situation
The prosecution, investigating allegations of 'nomination interference' involving Mr. Myeong Taegyun and President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife, as well as allegations of 'money transactions' involving former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun, summoned key suspect Kim for the second consecutive day on the 4th. Following Kim, Mr. Myeong, considered the 'key man' in these allegations, is also expected to be summoned for questioning this week.
The Criminal Division 4 of Changwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Ho-gyeong) summoned former lawmaker Kim, who is accused of violating the Political Funds Act, in the morning for questioning as a suspect.
Former National Assembly member Kim Young-sun, who appeared at Changwon District Prosecutors' Office on the 3rd.
Regarding the case of violating the Political Funds Act, in which the Gyeongnam Provincial Election Commission filed a complaint against Kang Hye-kyung and requested an investigation into Mr. Myeong and former lawmaker Kim, the prosecution had previously questioned Kim as a witness once in June. Yesterday, Kim was summoned again as a suspect and questioned for nearly 12 hours.
During the prosecution's investigation, Kim reportedly completely denied the allegations against him, including ▲requesting nominations for President Yoon and his wife through Mr. Myeong ▲paying 90.31 million KRW as a nomination fee to Mr. Myeong ▲and Mr. Myeong's involvement in the selection of Changwon National Industrial Complex.
Upon appearing at the prosecution yesterday, Kim stated that the money delivered to Mr. Myeong was repayment of a loan borrowed from Ms. Kang, and that the current situation was a trap set by Ms. Kang, who committed embezzlement.
In response, Ms. Kang rebutted yesterday, saying, "There are too many inaccuracies to respond to each one," and added, "I want to make it clear that this is not a problem that can be solved by improvisational lying."
Before appearing at the prosecution again today, Kim stated, "I only repaid the money I borrowed related to the election," and added, "The practical work was handled by the accounting staff, Ms. Kang, and I only supervised." He also reiterated the embezzlement allegations against Ms. Kang, which were confirmed during the prosecution's investigation in June.
The prosecution plans to summon Mr. Myeong for questioning as soon as the investigation of former lawmaker Kim is completed. Since Mr. Myeong himself reportedly made statements indicating an intention to destroy key evidence such as his mobile phone, there is speculation that the prosecution may request an arrest warrant and seek to secure his custody.
Although the prosecution appears to be accelerating the investigation belatedly, it is not an easy situation to focus solely on uncovering the truth of the case. The key issues that the prosecution must clarify through the investigation can be broadly categorized into three: first, the nature of the approximately 90 million KRW transferred from Kim’s side to Mr. Myeong; second, whether Mr. Myeong actually requested a nomination from Mrs. Kim on behalf of Kim; and finally, whether the nomination of Kim was a reward for Mr. Myeong’s support of President Yoon during the presidential election through public opinion polls.
Given the detailed testimonies of Ms. Kang, who worked closely with both Mr. Myeong and former lawmaker Kim, along with bank transfer records and thousands of recorded phone calls, the prosecution is unlikely to have much difficulty determining whose statements among the three conflicting testimonies are factual. However, considering the political and national impact if the prosecution confirms the nomination interference by the sitting president and his wife, it is true that the prosecution may find it difficult to hastily conclude the investigation.
Meanwhile, after the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office dismissed charges against Mrs. Kim regarding allegations of receiving luxury bags and stock manipulation of Deutsche Motors, the Democratic Party is preparing a vote on the third special prosecutor bill for Mrs. Kim and is pushing for the impeachment of Seoul Central District Prosecutor General Lee Chang-su. Additionally, the Innovation Party for Justice has officially announced plans to 'dismantle the prosecution,' placing the prosecution in a difficult position where it cannot afford to delay the investigation indefinitely.
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