Kim Byung-min Vice Mayor: "O Se-hoon Cut Ties with Myeong Tae-gyun... Did Not Maintain Relationship"

"Myung Taekyun Has Never Taken a Public Opinion Poll"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has completely denied allegations related to Myung Tae-gyun, a key figure in the 'Kim Geon-hee's nomination interference suspicion,' while Kim Byung-min, Seoul Special City Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs, claimed, "Looking at Kang Hye-kyung's one-sided statements, it is proven that Mayor Oh cut ties with Myung."

Deputy Mayor Kim said on the 29th on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' program, "During the April 7 by-election, elections were held nationwide, so the campaign was crowded," adding, "According to Kang's words, Myung was not allowed into the campaign and waited outside, which rather proves that Mayor Oh did not maintain a relationship with him."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is speaking at the joint agreement ceremony for the development plan of Yongsan International Business District held at Seoul Dragon City Hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 28th. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 27th, the online media NewsTapa reported that it obtained a recording in which Kim Han-jung, known as a supporter of Mayor Oh, said, "Mayor Oh told me to meet Myung."

Regarding this, Deputy Mayor Kim rebutted, "Can we trust Kim's words as they are?" and "Mayor Oh and his campaign know too little about Kim's actions." He claimed, "Kim became connected with Mayor Oh through free school meals and was one of the people who said they would help Mayor Oh during his political hiatus. During the April 7 by-election, Myung mentioned irrelevant opinion polls, so Mayor Oh practically kicked him out and never saw him again."

When asked, "Did Kim have a role in Mayor Oh's campaign?" he answered, "No." Deputy Mayor Kim explained, "There are people in the campaign who take on major roles, and even if they don't have a role, there are surrounding figures who constantly come to the campaign. Kim may have acted as a surrounding figure, but I clearly confirmed that he did not have a role in the campaign because he had a bad relationship with Kang Cheol-won, the Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs who oversaw the campaign at the time."

He also claimed that the unpublished opinion poll results that Myung allegedly sent to former People Power Party Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in during the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election were never used by the People Power Party Emergency Committee.

Deputy Mayor Kim said, "I can say for sure that during my time as an Emergency Committee member and as a spokesperson for the presidential election, I have never heard the name Myung Tae-gyun," adding, "At least within the party's official organization, such opinion polls have never been received or utilized." Earlier, Mayor Oh also directly denied the suspicion that he received help from Myung, who was active as a political broker during the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, stating, he never commissioned Myung for opinion polls nor received any poll results.