Park Beom-gye on Yoon Mi-hyang Allegations: "Party Opinion Has Changed... Must Clarify Today"

"Yoon Mi-hyang Shelter Purchase, Reminds of MB Naegok-dong Residence Incident"

Park Beom-gye, member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 18th, Park Beom-gye, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said regarding Yoon Mi-hyang (former director of the Justice and Memory Foundation) and elected member of the Democratic Citizens' Party, who is suspected of misusing donation funds, "There seems to be a clear change in public opinion yesterday and today."

Park appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that day and said, "Not only is there a change in public opinion, but there is also a clear change in the opinions of party members who love our party."

Regarding the fact that Yoon's father was in charge of managing the comfort women victims' shelter, he said, "It seems clear that the public and private roles were not separated," and criticized, "While I feel sorry for her father, the elected member's expression that 'it was not right publicly' seems somewhat weak in terms of reflection."

On the issue of the purchase and sale prices of the shelter, he said, "It reminded me of the past case of President Lee Myung-bak's purchase of the Naegok-dong residence site and the special prosecutor investigation."

He continued, "It is said that Yoon visited three places in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, but the places were in worse condition and not cheaper than the shelter she purchased. This part needs to be clearly explained quickly today."

Regarding Yoon's use of the 'pro-Japanese attack' frame, he criticized, "Whether or not there is a behind-the-scenes force behind Grandma Lee Yong-soo who raised the issue, it is difficult to simply conclude that it is a pro-Japanese attack. 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."

Earlier, the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeon), which Yoon represented, purchased a comfort women victims' shelter in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province for about 750 million won and recently contracted to sell it for 420 million won, more than 300 million won lower, sparking controversy over the transaction process.

On the 16th, Jeonguiyeon issued a statement explaining, "The Healing Center was primarily a space for the grandmothers' rest and healing, as well as for raising awareness about the issue of Japanese military 'comfort women' and supporting education and activities for future generations to spread human rights and peace values. However, due to the grandmothers' ongoing participation in Wednesday demonstrations and testimony activities, it was practically difficult for them to reside permanently in Anseong."

They added, "Other projects were also difficult to carry out with the secretariat staff, so proper operation according to the purpose was not possible. After consulting with the fundraising association, the decision was made to suspend the project, and discussions proceeded. Since 2016, the sale has been actively pursued, and the return process is currently underway. Due to factors such as a decline in surrounding real estate prices, the sale was delayed, but a sales contract was finally concluded on April 23, 2020, and this was reported to the fundraising association by phone."

They also said, "We sincerely apologize for not being able to properly carry out the project. However, we declare that we have sincerely consulted with the Community Chest of Korea regarding the sale."

Regarding Yoon's father managing the shelter, they explained, "To manage the building's daily operations, we requested the father of former Jeongdaehyeop representative Yoon Mi-hyang, who had experience managing a church parsonage, to manage the building. From January 2014 to June 2018, Jeongdaehyeop paid him 1.2 million won per month, including basic salary and allowances, under the name of management fees and wages. From July 2018, when the project operation began to decline significantly, until April 2020, 500,000 won per month was paid as management fees."

They added, "We acknowledge that designating a relative as the manager was inconsiderate and apologize for this."

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