'Accusation Instigation' Investigation Approaching Close Range and 'Musok' Controversy... Yoon Caught in Internal and External Turmoil

Democratic Party: "Prosecutor General's Office's Organized Election Interference Made Clear"
'Deutsche Motors Stock Manipulation Allegations' Also Becoming Political Issue
Verbal Dispute After Debate with Candidate Yoo Seung-min Leads to Battle Over Truth

People Power Party's Yoon Seok-yeol and Yoo Seung-min, preliminary candidates for the presidential primary, are shaking hands at the '2021 National Future Forum' held on the 12th floor convention hall of the Kukmin Ilbo Building in Yeouido, Seoul on the 7th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Yoon Seok-yeol, former Prosecutor General and presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is facing internal and external crises. As the investigation by the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Division (HOCI) into the ‘accusation solicitation’ scandal is increasingly likely to reveal the details as currently known, the possibility of Yoon’s involvement is now imminent. Throughout the party’s primary process, he has been plagued by controversies such as immature political remarks and ‘shamanism-related’ issues, consuming all his energy daily to overcome these ‘adverse factors.’

According to political circles on the 7th, the restoration of the recorded phone call between whistleblower Jo Seong-eun and People Power Party lawmaker Kim Woong, along with the momentum gained in the related investigation, appears to be a risk factor for former Prosecutor General Yoon. The recording supports the possibility that the accusation solicitation allegation, which Jo has claimed to involve the prosecution (Son Jun-sung) → Kim Woong → People Power Party flow, is true.

Upon news of the recording restoration, the Democratic Party judged that a new phase in the accusation solicitation scandal has begun. At a press conference held by members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Jong-min said, "The transcript clearly reveals a new phase where the ‘intervention in the general election’ was orchestrated by the organized involvement of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office," adding, "The focus of the investigation has become clarifying the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s organized involvement and what role former Prosecutor General Yoon played."

The ‘Deutsche Motors stock price manipulation involvement’ allegation against Yoon’s wife, Kim Geon-hee, also poses a threat. With one related person arrested the day before, the Democratic Party is pushing for Kim to be summoned as a witness at the National Assembly audit.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Within the party, conflicts with other candidates continue to arise. A representative example is the heated argument between Yoon and former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min immediately after a TV debate on the 5th. Yoon reportedly showed displeasure when Yoo brought up ‘superstition’ related to the character ‘王’ (king) during the debate. Yoo’s side stated, "Yoon suddenly said, ‘If you call Jeongbeop a superstition, it could be defamation,’ shaking his finger in Yoo’s face in protest." Jeongbeop is a lecture conducted by a figure known as ‘Cheongong Seungsa.’ Yoo also posted a link to a Jeongbeop video late at night on Facebook, criticizing Yoon by saying, "Did you watch this kind of video and come to the TV debate with the ‘王’ character on your palm? Shouldn’t you be preparing policies instead of watching such YouTube videos?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Yoon’s People Power Party campaign dismissed this as ‘fake news.’ The campaign issued a statement saying, "(Yoon) smiled and told former candidate Yoo, ‘If you watch that Jeongbeop person’s YouTube video once, you will understand what kind of person he is,’ but Yoo seemed a bit embarrassed, withdrew his hand from the handshake, and hurriedly left," explaining the situation.

Meanwhile, members of Yoon’s campaign, who had been working on expanding support, have repeatedly become sources of controversy. The campaign announced on the same day that it had dismissed Kim Seong-hoon, a special advisor for national integration at the People Power Party’s National Integration Committee, for making rude remarks about Choi Won-il, the captain of the Cheonan warship.

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