The prosecution investigating allegations of election interference involving President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife has secured the so-called 'Golden Phone,' which is believed to contain call records between the key suspect Myung Tae-gyun and major figures including President Yoon and his wife.
Myung, who had previously claimed through his brother-in-law that the phone was discarded or did not exist, has changed his stance and submitted the Golden Phone to the prosecution, accelerating the investigation.
According to the legal community on the 13th, Changwon District Prosecutors' Office received three mobile phones and one portable storage device (USB) from Myung's legal counsel the previous day. Among these, the phone known as the Golden Phone was used by Myung from September 2019 to April 2023.
This period coincides with the timing of the major allegations surrounding Myung.
Earlier, on October 31, the Democratic Party of Korea held an emergency press conference and released a recording of a phone call between Myung and President Yoon on May 9, 2022?the day before the People Power Party announced its candidate for the June 1, 2022, by-election in Changwon Uichang and the day before President Yoon’s inauguration?alleging the president’s interference in candidate selection.
The recording contains President Yoon saying to Myung, "I told you to support Kim Young-sun since he has been working hard since the primary, but there’s a lot of talk within the party."
It also includes the timeframe related to Myung’s indictment on charges of violating the Political Funds Act, for which he was arrested and prosecuted on the 3rd.
Myung was arrested and prosecuted on charges of receiving 8.7 million won through Kang Hye-kyung, the former accounting manager for ex-Assemblyman Kim Young-sun of the People Power Party, in connection with recommending Kim as the candidate for the National Assembly election in Changwon Uichang from August 2022 to November 2023, and receiving 240 million won from individuals A and B related to local election candidate recommendations.
Myung’s side had maintained that "Myung gave his phone to his brother-in-law on September 24 and discarded it, and the so-called Golden Phone does not exist." In relation to this, the prosecution applied charges of instructing evidence concealment when indicting Myung on the 3rd.
However, Myung suddenly changed his position and submitted the phone to the prosecution, drawing attention to the background and contents of this decision.
The prosecution plans to restore call records and text messages contained in the phone submitted by Myung’s side through forensic analysis. If additional call contents related to undisclosed criminal charges are revealed, it is expected to cause a significant impact.
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