Kim Tae-nyeon: "Han Myeong-sook is a victim of judicial manipulation... Ministry of Justice and prosecution must reveal the truth"

Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 19th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Kim Tae-nyeon, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has called for a reinvestigation into the bribery case involving former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook.

On the morning of the 20th, at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly, Floor Leader Kim said, "The truth of former Prime Minister Han's case is being revealed after 10 years. Many citizens are shocked after seeing the contents of 'Han Man-ho's prison memorandum,'" adding, "All these circumstances point to former Prime Minister Han being a victim of the prosecution's coercive investigation and judicial manipulation."

He continued, "The extensive and detailed record spanning 1,200 pages cannot be fiction. Han Man-ho is not a novelist," emphasizing, "Just because it is a past case, should we just let it go? We should not, and cannot do so." He then said, "I urge the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution to take on the task of revealing the truth, putting their department and institution's honor on the line."

Recently, the investigative media outlet Newstapa disclosed the memorandum of Han Man-ho, former CEO of Hanshin Construction. This has sparked public opinion within the ruling party calling for a reinvestigation of former Prime Minister Han's case. At the time, former Prime Minister Han was indicted on charges of violating the Political Funds Act for allegedly receiving over 900 million won in three installments from Han, and in August 2015, the Supreme Court sentenced her to two years in prison and imposed a fine of 883 million won.

Regarding the plenary session scheduled for the afternoon, Floor Leader Kim said, "This is the last plenary session of the 20th National Assembly," and stressed, "In the 21st National Assembly, we must overcome many of the stigmas attached to the 20th National Assembly. Habitual boycotts and outdoor protests that dominate TV screens must disappear."

He added, "The response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Nth Room case, and the Past Affairs Act are all scheduled to be addressed in today's plenary session," and said, "Through bipartisan cooperation, we have been able to uncover the truth of the Brothers Home incident after 45 years, and a law has been established to compensate divers who died during the Sewol ferry rescue operations."

Regarding the one-point tripartite social dialogue to overcome COVID-19, he earnestly requested, "I sincerely ask everyone to gather wisdom with a spirit of empathy," and said, "We will strive to ensure that more social dialogues and compromises can be achieved in the future."

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