Kim Taeyeol, Former Director of Mirae Korea Research Institute, and Myeong Taegyun to Be Questioned on the 6th and 7th
The prosecution investigating the case of "political broker" Myeong Tae-gyun has begun questioning Kang Hye-kyung, who served as the accounting manager for former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun.
On the 5th, the Myeong Tae-gyun Special Investigation Team at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (led by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee Ji-hyung) summoned Kang as a witness at the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office from 2 p.m. The prosecution had previously sent the investigation team to Changwon, Gyeongnam, on the 27th and 28th of last month to conduct inquiries. Kang worked as the deputy director of the Mirae Korea Research Institute, which Myeong effectively operated, before serving as the accounting manager for former lawmaker Kim. After concluding the questioning on this day, the prosecution plans to conduct additional investigations on former Mirae Korea Research Institute director Kim Tae-yeol at the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office on the 6th, and on Myeong on the 6th and 7th.
On this day, the prosecution is expected to confirm allegations from Kang that President Yoon and his wife, First Lady Kim Geon-hee, intervened in the People Power Party's nomination process during the 2021 by-elections for the National Assembly. Kang had previously alleged that during the last presidential election, Myeong’s de facto operated public opinion research firm, Mirae Korea Research Institute, conducted 81 illegal opinion polls to support President Yoon, and that former lawmaker Kim received the party nomination in the by-election as a result.
The prosecution is also expected to investigate allegations that First Lady Kim attempted to intervene in the nomination process during last year's 22nd general election. A report from the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team, which handled the Myeong case, included a Telegram message screenshot presumed to show communication between Myeong and First Lady Kim on February 19 of last year. The prosecution confirmed that First Lady Kim made 11 phone calls and exchanged text messages with former lawmaker Kim by March 1.
Allegations regarding the payment of public opinion survey costs related to Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon are also under scrutiny. Businessman Kim Han-jung, known as a longtime supporter of Mayor Oh, is suspected of having paid 33 million won for 13 undisclosed opinion polls during the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election into Kang’s personal account, allegedly on behalf of Mayor Oh. Kang claims that under Myeong’s instructions, she drafted survey questionnaires favorable to Mayor Oh and provided the original data to his side.
In response, Mayor Oh has completely denied the allegations, stating that he never received the survey results nor made any payments on behalf of others, and has filed a complaint against Myeong at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, demanding disclosure of when and to whom such information was allegedly delivered if it indeed occurred.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
