Myeong Tae-gyun, a key figure in allegations of President Yoon Seok-yeol and First Lady Kim Geon-hee’s interference in candidate nominations and manipulation of public opinion polls by the Future Korea Research Institute, appeared before the prosecution on the 8th.
Myeong, who is accused of violating the Political Funds Act, arrived at the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office in Gyeongnam at around 9:40 a.m., leaning on a cane and accompanied by his lawyer.
He said, “I feel embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry to the people for my reckless words and actions,” adding, “I will sincerely cooperate with the prosecution’s investigation.”
Myung Tae-gyun, a key figure suspected of intervening in candidate nominations, arrived at the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office in Gyeongnam for investigation and is responding to reporters' questions. Photo by Lee Se-ryeong
At the scene, reporters bombarded him with questions such as “How did you come to know the First Lady?”, “Did you receive help from the President and his wife for former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-seon’s nomination?”, and “Did you bring any recordings containing the voices of the President or the First Lady today?”
Myeong replied, “Won’t these questions be asked during the prosecution’s investigation? If I say everything here, there will be nothing left to discuss during the investigation. I will state my position after the investigation is complete.”
When asked if he planned to make additional revelations, he snapped back, “I have never made any revelations. Let me be clear, have I ever revealed anything among my actions?”
Regarding the question, “Do you not admit to receiving money in exchange for nominations?” he said, “I will say just one thing. The number of prosecution personnel keeps increasing, and the account tracking team has also arrived. Once the flow of money is traced, this case will be resolved quickly.”
He then said, “I have not received a single won,” before entering the building.
Myeong Tae-gyun, a key figure suspected of intervening in candidate nominations, is answering questions from reporters in front of the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office. Photo by Lee Se-ryeong
Instead of Myeong, his lawyer faced the reporters after Myeong entered the building. When asked, “You mentioned preparing recording materials. Are they related to the President and his wife?” the lawyer replied, “They will not be submitted to the prosecution, and there will never be any additional revelations that some media outlets hope for, so don’t expect anything.”
He continued, “This case involves Kang Hye-kyung, who is like a second Yoon Ji-oh, telling lies about everything except breathing to clear her own criminal charges, causing many journalists to suffer.”
When asked, “Do you deny all allegations against Myeong, including receiving money in exchange for nominations and illegal opinion polls?” he said, “Of course,” adding, “There are things Kang already revealed in her own testimony during the election commission’s investigation. Think about why Kang, like a second Yoon Ji-oh, was not allowed to have a lawyer present and went in alone. The answer is clear.”
Regarding Myeong’s sudden apology post on his social media the day before, he explained, “Regardless of the reason, it was an apology for causing harm due to third-party recordings of various politicians’ reputations or content Myeong thought about being made public.”
On whether Myeong was involved in the selection process of the Changwon National Industrial Complex, he said, “Myeong frequently gave policy opinions to former lawmaker Kim and created and delivered various materials to have them implemented. As a healthy and sound sovereign, this is rather commendable.”
Myeong Tae-gyun, a key figure suspected of intervening in candidate nominations, is entering the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office building in Gyeongnam. Photo by Lee Se-ryeong
Myeong is accused of receiving about 90 million won in salary 25 times from August 2022 to December last year from the side of former lawmaker Kim Young-seon, who was elected in the Changwon Uichang district in the June 1, 2022, by-election.
He is also suspected of conducting opinion polls for Yoon Seok-yeol during the last presidential election without receiving payment in exchange for securing Kim’s nomination.
Earlier, the Gyeongnam Election Commission filed a complaint with the Changwon District Prosecutors’ Office in December last year against Kang Hye-kyung, former accounting manager for Kim, and requested investigations into Kim, Myeong, and three others.
On the 21st of last month, Kang appeared as a witness at the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s audit and alleged that during the last presidential election, Myeong conducted illegal opinion polls for then-candidate Yoon Seok-yeol in exchange for Kim receiving the nomination, and that First Lady Kim Geon-hee was involved in the nomination process.
The prosecution suspects that the money Kim gave to Myeong after the by-election two years ago was in exchange for the nomination.
They also believe Myeong received 240 million won from prospective candidates by flaunting his closeness to the First Lady to cover the costs of the presidential election opinion polls.
The Changwon District Prosecutors’ Office Criminal Division 4 recently summoned Kim and Kang for questioning and is now investigating Myeong as a suspect starting at 10 a.m. today.
This investigation is the first substantive suspect interrogation conducted directly by a prosecutor in nine months since Myeong was questioned in the investigation department without a prosecutor in February.
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