Prime Minister nominee Minseok Kim on the 18th refuted the so-called 'elderly couple accusation case' surrounding him, describing it as "an outrageous false accusation orchestrated by political prosecutors."
Prime Minister nominee Minseok Kim is arriving at the hearing preparation office set up at the Financial Supervisory Service Training Institute in Tonguidong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 17th. 2025.6.17 Photo by Yongjun Cho
On this day, Kim wrote on his Facebook, "Ahead of my confirmation hearing, it seems that one of the pieces of trash created by these prosecutors is being circulated by trashy far-right YouTube channels or outlets masquerading as the press." He continued, "The allegation is that an elderly couple was extorted by me and then took their own lives," and questioned, "Is South Korea such a lax country that it would let something like that go unaddressed? If it were true, would their children just stand by?"
The case in question dates back to 2004, when a couple in their 60s left a suicide note claiming that Kim had borrowed money from them and failed to repay it, before taking their own lives. The incident first became public in 2008 when a media outlet obtained and reported on the note.
Kim explained, "A local resident, who had embezzled money from a third party using a request as bait, filed a petition with me regarding that request, but I did not grant it." He added, "Amazingly, that person submitted a false accusation claiming to have given me money, and then took their own life. With the help of heaven, my aide had recorded our conversation, and I voluntarily submitted the transcript to the prosecution, which allowed me to clear my name from the smear campaign."
He went on to say, "Targeted investigations, fabrication of evidence, false reporting, and witness intimidation?these are all things that political prosecutors of the Yoon Suk Yeol type in this country have done, to a degree that defies belief." He further claimed, "It was likely the prosecution that retrieved the accusation they themselves had cleared from a dust-covered cabinet and handed it over to Monthly Chosun."
Kim especially criticized the media outlets covering the case, saying, "Those who act as informants for prosecutors behaving irrationally and sell such stories in the name of reporting, without a shred of reason, are not journalists but trash." He added, "Those who try to find a speck in my eye with a beam in theirs are once again volunteering as slaves to the disgusting political prosecutor-trash tabloid cartel." He emphatically stated, "I will not fall victim to these repeated games of recycling such false accusations."
Kim also mentioned not only the suspicions against himself but also the judicial risks surrounding President Jaemyung Lee, saying, "I have never paid the slightest attention to them," and explained, "That's because I have personally experienced all too vividly how political prosecutors in South Korea conduct their witch hunts."
※ If you have difficult concerns such as depression, or if you have family or acquaintances around you experiencing such difficulties, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling through the suicide prevention hotline (109) or the SNS counseling service Madlen.
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