Yoon Seok-yeol Avoids Burden of Proof... Ruling and Opposition Distance Themselves from 'X-File'

Song Young-gil "Opposition Party Must Have Made It"... Emphasizes He Has No Relation
Jang Seong-cheol Director "No Contact from Anyone Yet... Current Version Differs from Mine"

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol attended the opening ceremony of the Udang Memorial Hall located in Namsan Yejang Park, Jung-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 9th. After viewing the exhibits, he was surrounded by reporters. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] The person who ignited the controversy over the so-called 'Yoon Seok-yeol X file,' which has been a hot topic in the political sphere for the past month, is Song Young-gil, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. On the 25th of last month, Song attended a rally and said, "We are steadily preparing numerous files on former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol," amplifying interest in the X file. The volatility of a bomb that could deal a fatal blow to a leading opposition presidential candidate struck the political world.

Then, Jang Sung-chul, director of the Gonggam and Debate Policy Center, intensified the controversy by claiming, "I have the X file." It seemed as if the existence of the X file and the timing of its detonation were approaching. However, as of the 23rd, the series of controversies are increasingly likely to end as just a 'happening.' For now, Song stated on that day, "There is no X file." Director Jang also said, "I publicly announced that I would disclose the X file and asked interested politicians to contact me, but as of the 23rd, a day later, no politician has reached out."

It is difficult at this point to determine whether an X file containing new allegations or explosive information about former Prosecutor General Yoon, which has not been covered in media reports, actually exists, or if only less impactful materials such as collections of public opinion or documents for hearing preparation are circulating. To verify this, the side that needs to 'attack' former Prosecutor General Yoon must actively obtain, disclose, and verify the file, but no one in the political sphere is willing to step forward. The Democratic Party said, "Since he is an opposition candidate, the opposition should obtain and verify it," and "Former Prosecutor General Yoon himself should obtain and disclose it," splitting the responsibility and throwing the ball to the People Power Party and Yoon's side. The People Power Party also seemed to distance itself from the issue, saying, "Who verified him when he was appointed Prosecutor General? Wasn't it the Blue House?" or "It's something Yoon himself should handle."

Song Young-gil: "The X file was probably created by the opposition"

Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 23rd and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

On the 23rd, Song claimed that the X file was "probably created by the opposition." This was a rebuttal to Director Jang's speculation that the file was made by the ruling party. With the exact nature of the X file unknown, both ruling and opposition parties are shifting the burden of proof regarding former Prosecutor General Yoon onto each other.

On the 23rd, Song appeared on TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' and said, "I presume that during the verification process for the Prosecutor General appointment, various materials were organized within the opposition." Since his previous mentions of the X file about a month ago, Song had taken a wait-and-see stance without further comments. On this day, he appeared to distance himself from the X file controversy. He explained, "There is no X file," and added, "I was just trying to organize things in my own way." He also stated that it had nothing to do with the 20-page file that Director Jang claimed to have.

Song presumed that the X file held by Director Jang or the files circulating in the political sphere were created by the opposition. He characterized it as a conflict between the mainstream and non-mainstream factions within the opposition. Referring to Hong Joon-pyo, another opposition presidential candidate and an independent lawmaker, Song said, "Hong will probably join the People Power Party, and he will likely know the most accurate details."

In response, Hong immediately drew a line, saying, "I don't know on what basis you said I would know well, but I have never seen or known about the so-called Yoon Seok-yeol X file." He also targeted former Prosecutor General Yoon, saying, "It is not a proper attitude to try to avoid verification by claiming illegal surveillance when you were the one who always conducted surveillance."

Regarding the mention of former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, a former public security prosecutor who was familiar with Yoon's tenure as a prosecutor and had conflicts with Yoon's 'special investigation unit,' Hwang dismissed it as "not worth talking about."

Ruling and Opposition Parties Shift Burden of Proof to Each Other

Neither the ruling nor the opposition party seems eager to get deeply involved with the unclear X file. On the same day, Democratic Party lawmaker Kang Hoon-sik, appearing on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' said, "Isn't former Prosecutor General Yoon someone the People Power Party is trying to recruit?" and added, "If they are trying to make him a presidential candidate, they should verify such facts before recruiting him," pushing the responsibility for obtaining and verifying the X file onto the opposition. In response, People Power Party lawmaker Sung Il-jong said, "Only the ruling party has the capability to verify this. The opposition does not have the ability to verify it." Sung also said, "It is ridiculous for the opposition to demand verification based on a paper written by a single commentator (Jang Sung-chul), whose authorship and source remain unknown," and added, "If there is a clear problem with Prosecutor General Yoon, he will explain it himself."

With no one in the political sphere willing to deeply engage with the X file issue, this controversy may end up as a 'political stunt happening' that circulates and disappears before the election. Director Jang told Asia Economy in a phone interview, "No one has contacted me to request the X file yet, and I have not delivered it to anyone either," adding, "The X files currently circulating are different versions from the one I have."

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