Lee, Leader of People Power Party During 2022 Local Elections
Yoon Sanghyun Questioned for 15 Hours
Lee Junseok, who ran unopposed in the Reform New Party leadership election, receives flowers after being confirmed as the party leader at the Reform New Party's 2nd National Convention held in the main conference hall of the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 27th. Photo by Yonhap News
The special prosecutor's team led by Min Junggi, investigating the alleged intervention in candidate nominations by former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife, has conducted a search and seizure at the residence of Lee Junseok, leader of the Reform New Party.
On the morning of July 28, the special prosecutor's team was searching Lee's home and office in Sanggye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul.
The team is investigating the so-called "Myung Taegyun Gate" allegations. The core of the suspicion is that, ahead of the 2022 presidential election, former President Yoon and his wife allegedly received free opinion polls from political broker Myung Taegyun and, in return, exerted influence over the nomination process for the June 2022 local elections and parliamentary by-elections. At that time, Yoon Sanghyun, a member of the People Power Party, was the party's nomination committee chair, and Lee Junseok was the party leader.
It has been determined that Myung conducted illegal opinion polls a total of 81 times. According to released phone recordings, on May 9, 2022, the day before the People Power Party announced its by-election nominations, former President Yoon told Myung, "I've been working hard for Kim Youngsun since the primary, so I asked you to help Kim Youngsun, but there are a lot of rumors in the party. I'll talk to Sanghyun (referring to Representative Yoon) again. He's the nomination committee chair."
The special prosecutor's team summoned Representative Yoon the previous day as a suspect on charges including obstruction of business and questioned him for about 15 hours. As he returned home around midnight, when asked by reporters whether he had ever been contacted by former President Yoon regarding the nomination of former lawmaker Kim Youngsun, Representative Yoon replied, "I have explained everything sincerely and truthfully to the special prosecutor's team, so you will find out." When asked if he maintains that there was no intervention in the nominations, he said, "That will become known," avoiding a direct answer.
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