"First Report Written by Aide Leaked"
'Cannot Rule Out Possibility' Revised Report Released
Kim Eo-jun "Not Disappointed"
Park Seon-won, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, apologized for the report that made broadcaster Kim Eo-jun's claim of 'Han Dong-hoon assassination squad' appear to be an absurd fact. YouTube channel 'Kim Eo-jun's Humility is Hard News Factory'
Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun's claim about a plan to assassinate Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the People Power Party, has been reported as a baseless fact, and Park Seon-won, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, has expressed an apology regarding this.
On the 19th, Park appeared on the YouTube channel 'Kim Eo-jun's Humility is Hard News Factory' and mentioned Kim's claim about the 'Han Dong-hoon assassination squad.' He apologized, saying, "The first report was leaked, making it seem like Kim spoke baseless facts and lies, so I am sorry." He then revealed a revised report that modified the evaluation to 'cannot rule out the possibility.'
Park explained, "Our aide, who is a former National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent, prepared the report in the NIS style from the night of the 13th to the early morning of the 14th and gave it to me," adding, "(Because this was leaked and Kim's claim was regarded as) a lie, I feel somewhat sorry." Kim responded with a laugh, "(The person who wrote the report) was an aide from Park Seon-won's office," and said, "I think that is appropriate. The role of a public party is different, so I would not be upset even if they completely deny my claim."
On the 13th, at the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee plenary meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, broadcaster Kim Eo-jun is responding to questions. Photo by Yonhap News
Earlier, on the 13th, Kim appeared as a witness before the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee and introduced information he received related to the emergency martial law situation, stating, "Not all facts have been confirmed." While checking his notes, he recited, "First, Han Dong-hoon, who is arrested and transferred, will be assassinated. Second, an assault on the convoy transporting Cho Kuk, Yang Jeong-cheol, and Kim Eo-jun will be staged to rescue them, then they will flee. Third, North Korean military uniforms will be buried at a specific location. Fourth, after a certain point, the uniforms will be discovered and announced as the work of North Korea." He added, "To elaborate, Han Dong-hoon is the ruling party leader who is easy to blame on North Korea, and the purpose of the rescue operation for Cho Kuk, Yang Jeong-cheol, and Kim Eo-jun is to inflict maximum damage on the unit involved and announce that North Korea attempted to rescue pro-North forces."
Kim also said, "I have not heard about any demands to assassinate the three during the process, so I do not know. (There are) other reports as well," and added, "They plan to assassinate several U.S. soldiers to provoke the U.S. into bombing North Korea. The unit in charge should inquire with Democratic Party members Kim Byung-joo or Park Seon-won." Furthermore, he explained, "I also received reports about biochemical terrorism, but whether to disclose it is up to Representative Kim."
Subsequently, the civic group Committee for the Protection of Ordinary People's Livelihoods (Seominwi) announced on the 18th that they filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against Kim for charges including incitement of rebellion and defamation. In the complaint, they stated, "Not only did he provoke the ruling and opposition party leaders with absurd and ridiculous claims, exacerbating social confusion, but he also provoked North Korea and the United States, which shake international affairs," and argued, "Such outrageous remarks that create a sense of war crisis on the Korean Peninsula constitute incitement of rebellion."
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