Park Beom-gye "Yoon Mi-hyang Shelter Purchase Suspicion Reminds of Lee Myung-bak Residence Incident" Change in Ruling Party Atmosphere

Yoon Mi-hyang, representative of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, is urging the Japanese government to issue an official apology at the 1,343rd regular Wednesday demonstration for the resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue, held on the 11th at Peace Road in front of the Embassy of Japan in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Even within the Democratic Party of Korea, cautious opinions and calls for resignation regarding the 'Yoon Mee-hyang allegations' are emerging. The suspicions surrounding Yoon Mee-hyang, the Democratic Party elected representative, are expanding daily and include ▲whether she was aware in advance of the South Korea-Japan comfort women agreement ▲the source of funds for her daughter's overseas study ▲the purpose, purchase, and sale process of the Healing Center ▲the fact that the manager of the Healing Center was Yoon's father ▲ and the auction funds for an apartment purchased with cash.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the morning of the same day, Democratic Party lawmaker Park Beom-gye appeared on CBS Radio and said, "It seems that public opinion has clearly changed over the past day or two regarding the allegations against Yoon." He added, "It may become difficult for the party to just wait for her explanation and the prosecution's investigation. Yoon must provide a statement regarding the purchase of the shelter today." He also said, "The issues surrounding the purchase and sale of the shelter remind me of the case of former President Lee Myung-bak's purchase of land in Naegok-dong," adding, "There is a high possibility that the investigation will proceed very quickly." This is the first time that the Democratic Party has publicly raised the issue of Yoon's position within the party.

Regarding Yoon's father managing the shelter, he pointed out, "It is clear that the construction and management were not separated," and said, "It would be good for her to receive sharp criticism on this." Park expressed concern, saying, "The public opinion landscape is very unfavorable," and "It may become difficult for the party to just wait for her explanation, clarification, and the prosecution's investigation." He emphasized, "Whether or not there is a hidden agenda behind the allegations raised by Grandmother Lee Yong-soo, it is difficult to simply conclude that it is a pro-Japanese offensive," and added, "We need to look at whether this aligns with the general public's sense of justice, so-called public sentiment law, and even universal emotions."

A Democratic Party lawmaker said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the morning of the same day, "The achievements of the Justice and Memory Foundation should not be damaged by these allegations," but also said, "There is no atmosphere that we must unconditionally defend Yoon." Another lawmaker said, "It is unfortunate that a first-term lawmaker is caught up in such allegations," and added, "The facts should be revealed through investigations." The Democratic Party has not yet formed an internal investigative body regarding Yoon and is monitoring the situation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Until last week, the Democratic Party had defended Yoon through statements. When asked by Asia Economy whether the statement issued by Democratic Party lawmakers on the 14th represented the party's position, Democratic Party spokesperson Hong Jeong-min said, "I don't think that is the case." On the 14th, Democratic Party member Kang Chang-il and others issued a statement saying, "We will join the path to reveal the truth of history," emphasizing, "We must stop the discord between the victim, based on long-standing trust, and Yoon."

On the Democratic Party's member bulletin board, posts such as "Do not defend Yoon Mee-hyang," "Expel Yoon Mee-hyang," "I do not support the Democratic Party to carry someone like Yoon Mee-hyang," and "Now, because of Yoon Mee-hyang, I cannot say the Democratic Party is better than the United Future Party" have been posted one after another. One member wrote in a post titled "Please go in the right direction," "Is there anything to say while watching the situation? Wrongdoings must be addressed. If you cannot resolve this now, you will never receive the support of party members again."

Meanwhile, Yoon herself clearly stated that she has no intention of resigning. On the morning of the same day, Yoon appeared on CBS Radio and, when asked about the United Future Party demanding her resignation while calling for a fact-finding investigation, she said, "I am not considering resignation. I want to ask people to watch closely through my legislative activities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.