Hong Joon-pyo "Ate with a fisherman 2 years ago... Thought it was abnormal to boast about Porsche and Bentley"

Hong Joon-pyo, member of the People Power Party./Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Hong Jun-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, mentioned that he had a meal in the past with a self-proclaimed seafood businessman Kim, who is suspected of bribery involving the prosecution, police, politicians, and journalists, and stated, "He was not a normal person."

On the 5th, Hong posted on his Facebook, "Fraud always occurs when the victim harbors vain greed. The fraudulent acts of a certain seafood businessman are no different," adding, "Through reporter Lee Dong-hoon (former Chosun Ilbo), I also had a meal with that person (Kim) and him three years ago."

Hong explained, "What he said was so absurd that I checked the office location of the company written on the business card I received, and it was a quiet rural street in Pohang," and added, "The characteristic of fraudsters is that most have many titles on their business cards and tend to have ostentatious consumption desires."

He continued, "When we first met, he showed me photos of his five cars, including a Porsche and a Bentley, and I thought he was not a normal person," and said, "I had nothing to lose, but it is a great relief that I was not deceived by such a person."

He further stated, "In politics, there are countless people you meet who claim to be supporters. It is not right to immediately become a target of criticism just because you met them once or twice," and added, "I hope no unjust victims emerge in this case."

Meanwhile, Kim was arrested and indicted on charges of investment fraud amounting to 11.6 billion won from June 2018 to January this year, claiming that investing in the business of selling "frozen squid on board" would increase money. During this process, Kim testified that he was introduced to and provided money to a current chief prosecutor, a police officer of superintendent rank, and former and current journalists.

Based on this, the police have registered four people, including Lee Dong-hoon, former editorial writer of Chosun Ilbo and spokesperson for former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's presidential campaign, TV Chosun anchor Eom Seong-seop, a current chief prosecutor, and the police chief of the Pohang area, on charges of violating the Anti-Graft Act and are investigating.

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