Seoul City: "Oh Se-hoon Never Told Supporter Mr. Kim to Meet Myeong Tae-gyun"

Rebuttal to the Democratic New Seoul Special Committee Press Conference
Some Directors of Kim's Corporation Hired by Seoul City Agencies
Spokesperson Shin Seon-jong: "Followed Legal Procedures"

The Seoul Metropolitan Government rebutted the Democratic Party's press conference demanding an explanation from Mayor Oh Se-hoon regarding allegations related to Mr. Myeong Tae-gyun, calling it "an inflation of suspicions based on false and fake information."

Shin Seon-jong, spokesperson for the Seoul Metropolitan Government, referred to the press conference in a statement on the 29th, saying, "Several issues that the Democratic Party claims as if new evidence has emerged are either unverified facts or fake information."

The Democratic Party's Seoul City Committee's New Seoul Preparation Special Committee held a press conference that morning, mentioning that Mr. Kim, a supporter of Mayor Oh, deposited 33 million won into Mr. Myeong's account, and demanded, "Reveal the truth of the Myeong Tae-gyun connection in detail." The special committee particularly pointed out that Mr. Kim met Mr. Myeong at Mayor Oh's request, accusing the mayor's explanation of being false. They also mentioned that some members of the board of directors of the corporation where Mr. Kim serves as chairman were employed by Seoul city-funded or affiliated organizations.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is responding to a question related to Myeong Tae-gyun during the announcement of support measures for small business owners held on the 26th at the Seoul City Hall briefing room in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

Spokesperson Shin said, "The claim that Mr. Kim met Mr. Myeong at Mayor Oh's request is only Mr. Kim's story, and the context of his statement has not been clarified," adding, "Mayor Oh has absolutely never told Mr. Kim to meet Mr. Myeong. If the Democratic Party wants to amplify suspicions, they must provide evidence to prove their claims."

He reiterated that the financial transactions between Mr. Kim and Mr. Myeong or Ms. Kang Hye-kyung are unrelated to Mayor Oh. Shin stated, "The reasons why Mr. Myeong and Ms. Kang demanded money from Mr. Kim over a long period are better known by the parties involved," and added, "I believe the prosecution's investigation will clearly reveal the reasons for the financial exchanges among the three."

Regarding claims related to Mr. Kim's corporation, Gongsaeng School, he also dismissed them as "absurd." Shin explained, "After the establishment of the organization, Mayor Oh judged that it could cause political misunderstandings and strongly opposed the organization's activities. Subsequently, Gongsaeng School ceased all official activities," adding, "Rather, Mayor Oh was the person who stopped those activities."

He drew a clear line on the employment of some Gongsaeng School board members at Seoul city-related institutions, stating that it was conducted through proper procedures. Shin said, "The Democratic Party is inflating suspicions as if Mr. Kim exerted influence on Mayor Oh," but "the hiring at Seoul city-related institutions was conducted individually, went through strict screening, and followed lawful procedures." He added, "Although some individuals involved with Gongsaeng School were employed, it was confirmed that they did not engage in activities linked to Mr. Kim."

Regarding Mr. Myeong's alleged 'manipulation of unpublished opinion polls,' Shin emphasized again, "From the perspective of Oh Se-hoon's campaign, the unpublished polls claimed by Mr. Myeong are not even worth using." He criticized the Democratic Party, saying, "As a party that has used opinion polls as 'rules' in numerous internal primaries, they know better than anyone that this claim makes no sense," and added, "Yet they are recklessly trying to tarnish Mayor Oh's image."

Spokesperson Shin concluded, "We hope the prosecution will conduct a thorough investigation to uncover the facts without any suspicion and prevent the defamation of specific individuals," and stated, "After the prosecution's investigation concludes, we plan to take all possible civil and criminal legal actions against those who produce and distribute false and fabricated information that damages personal honor."