Hwang Kyo-ahn's Side "Secures Evidence That Nakwon Arcade Merchants' Association Paid Meeting Fees for Candidate Lee"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 14th, the campaign team of Hwang Kyo-ahn, the United Future Party candidate running in Jongno-gu, Seoul, announced that they have "secured evidence" regarding the allegation that the rival candidate, Lee Nak-yeon, the Democratic Party of Korea's standing election committee chairman, had someone else pay for the expenses of a meeting.

One media outlet reported that on the 25th of last month, Candidate Lee held a meeting with residents near Nakwon Arcade in Jongno, and that the entire cost of 400,000 won for the event was paid by the Nakwon Arcade Merchants' Association.

In response, Candidate Lee's camp explained, "The meeting in question was a regular meeting of the Jongno Humanities Institute, a social gathering of humanities society members," and added, "Chairman Lee did not host it." The Democratic Party also explained that the food and beverage cost for the meeting on that day was 250,000 won, and that the expenses should be paid from the humanities society members' dues, which are usually spent at the end of the month, so the payment has not yet been made.

However, Candidate Hwang's side claimed, "According to the evidence we have secured, the explanation given by Candidate Lee's side has been confirmed to be false," and stated, "There is clear evidence that the Merchants' Association paid the expenses on behalf of the candidate, and the amount was indeed 400,000 won. It is common sense that the humanities society's expenses cannot be paid by an unrelated Merchants' Association."

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