"No Plans to Suggest Party Departure to Yoon"
Pressure on Yoon? ... "That Is Also for Yoon to Decide"
On the Chung Hoyong Appointment Controversy: "It Was Due to My Carelessness"
The campaign of Kim Moonsoo, the People Power Party presidential candidate, stated on May 15 that although Kim spoke with former President Yoon Seokyeol after being confirmed as the party's final candidate, there was no instance where Kim either dissuaded or requested Yoon not to leave the party.
Kim Jae Won, Chief Secretary to the People Power Party candidate, met with reporters at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, that afternoon, saying, "There was definitely communication between Kim and former President Yoon," and added, "Regarding Yoon's potential departure from the party, Kim said he would follow Yoon's own judgment and respect his decision, and beyond that, nothing else was said."
Kim Jae Won, Chief Secretary to People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon Soo, is responding to reporters' questions on the 10th after the unification talks between People Power Party presidential candidates Kim Moon Soo and Han Duck Soo, which resumed at the National Assembly, ended in failure. Photo by Yonhap News
Regarding the timing of their communication, Chief Secretary Kim explained, "According to what I confirmed with Kim, it was after the controversy over replacing the candidate with former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo," and added, "I have confirmed that the communication took place after Kim was confirmed as the candidate."
He continued, "Although there are various controversies about what was said at that time, there is only one clear point: Kim never expressed any opinion on Yoon's possible departure from the party."
He further stated, "However, if Yoon's departure becomes an issue, Kim's consistent position from the beginning has been to respect Yoon's judgment and decision."
He reiterated, "Kim does not intend to separately express or request any opinion regarding Yoon's departure from the party. This is an area for Yoon to assess and decide upon, given the current situation."
When asked whether Kim's statement that he would follow Yoon's judgment could be seen as pressuring Yoon to leave the party, he responded, "That matter is also entirely for Yoon to judge and decide."
Chief Secretary Kim also denied allegations that Yoon had called Kim to question him about his apology regarding martial law.
He said, "Recently, a certain YouTuber claimed that Yoon called Kim and expressed a different opinion about Kim's apology regarding martial law, but this is completely untrue," and added, "We plan to respond firmly to this."
Regarding criticism that recruiting lawyer Seok Donghyun, who previously defended Yoon, into the campaign team contradicts calls within the party to distance themselves from Yoon, he said, "We are carefully considering such criticism, and we will humbly accept it and work to improve going forward."
People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moonsoo is greeting while boarding a vehicle and moving after concluding a rally to protect the judiciary and condemn the Democratic Party of Korea in front of the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 15th. Photo by Yonhap News
On the recent incident where the People Power Party's central election committee appointed and then revoked the appointment of former Defense Minister Chung Hoyong, who played a key role in suppressing the 5·18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, as a senior advisor, he apologized, attributing it to his own carelessness.
Chief Secretary Kim said, "There are many gatherings of former lawmakers who support Kim, and they informed the campaign that it would be good to appoint former Minister Chung as a senior advisor. In the process of compiling and delivering this, I failed to properly check due to my own carelessness."
He continued, "After the issue was raised last night, I explained the situation to those who sent me the list, and decided to cancel the appointment through the election committee's procedures. Although this caused considerable delay, I am deeply sorry for that."
When asked whether Kim's apology regarding martial law was an apology for the imposition of martial law itself or for the harm caused afterward, Chief Secretary Kim replied, "Please accept Kim's words as they are. All sincerity is contained in that apology."
Earlier that morning, Kim had stated at an emergency press conference regarding Yoon's declaration of martial law, "I sincerely and respectfully apologize. Even if it is a power guaranteed by the Constitution, invoking martial law before a national crisis is not appropriate."
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