Yoon Served as Nomination Committee Chair During Local and By-elections
Special Prosecutor Names Yoon and Kim Keonhee as Accomplices... Now Suspects
The special prosecutor team led by Min Junggi, which is investigating various allegations surrounding Kim Keonhee, summoned People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sanghyun as a suspect on July 27. Yoon Sanghyun is accused of interfering with official duties and other charges, including allegations that he, together with former President Yoon Sukyeol and his wife, was involved in manipulating nominations for the 2022 local elections.
Yoon Sanghyun appeared at the special prosecutor's office located at KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu at around 9:25 a.m. that day. When reporters asked him before entering the office if he had any statement regarding the nomination interference allegations, Yoon replied, "I will respond to the investigation sincerely, truthfully, and diligently."
When asked whether former President Yoon Sukyeol had personally contacted him to nominate former lawmaker Kim Youngsun, Yoon Sanghyun said, "I will speak about that during the investigation," refraining from further comment.
Yoon Sanghyun is accused of having improperly intervened in the nomination process for the 2022 local elections and other related nominations along with the former presidential couple. The special prosecutor team is expected to focus its investigation on whether there was any improper external pressure during the nomination process, targeting Yoon Sanghyun, who was the nomination committee chair of the People Power Party during the June 1, 2022 local elections and the by-elections.
There have been allegations that the former presidential couple arranged for Kim Youngsun to be nominated in the by-election held in the same year as compensation for receiving free public opinion polling from so-called "political broker" Myung Taegyun during the 2022 presidential election.
According to a previously released recorded phone call, former President Yoon Sukyeol said to Myung Taegyun on May 9, 2022, the day before the People Power Party announced its by-election nominations, "I worked hard for Kim Youngsun since the primary, so I asked if you could help Kim Youngsun, but there is a lot of talk in the party. I will talk to Sanghyun (Yoon Sanghyun) again since he is the nomination committee chair."
In connection with this investigation, the special prosecutor team conducted searches and seizures on July 8 at Yoon Sanghyun's National Assembly office and residence, as well as at Kim Youngsun's residence. The search warrant at the time listed the former presidential couple, Yoon Sanghyun, and former presidential chief of staff Jeong Jinseok as suspects.
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