With "Yoon Seok-yeol's mother-in-law and wife suspected of managing Yangpyeong land under a borrowed name... should be made to confess"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] The Democratic Party's Election Countermeasures Committee's Task Force (TF) on Current Issues released a press statement on the 12th, revealing suspicions that Kim Gun-hee, wife of Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party candidate, and her mother-in-law Choi Eun-soon managed five real estate plots in Byeongsan-ri, Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province under borrowed names.

The TF presented evidence including that Kim set provisional registrations on two plots registered under her cousin's name from 2008 to 2010, and that later Choi secured loans totaling 2.5605 billion KRW using these lands as collateral. Kim Byung-gi, head of the TF, stated, "Hiding and managing real estate under the names of relatives and business partners is a tactic of the Choi Eun-soon family's 'family business,'" adding, "It is suspected that candidate Yoon was aware of the possibility of violating the Real Name Real Estate Act." He further urged, "Candidate Yoon should persuade his mother-in-law and wife to settle other borrowed-name assets and voluntarily report to investigative authorities."

Former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae also wrote on Facebook, "The allegations that the mother-in-law and spouse amassed enormous wealth by covering up illegal and illicit acts and disputes using their connections with prosecutors and sponsor business operators cannot be dismissed as 'pre-marriage matters' or 'private life' issues," emphasizing, "One such case is the Yangpyeong Gongheung District apartment development scandal, which even real estate development experts find shockingly illegal and preferential."

Former Minister Choo stated, "The claim by candidate Yoon's side that Kim Gun-hee was not involved in the development has been proven false," and urged, "The police should form a special investigation team at the Southern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency and conduct a swift investigation."

The Democratic Party also highlighted the court's dismissal on the 10th of Yoon's lawsuit to cancel the suspension of the Prosecutor General's duties. Lawmakers, mainly from the Democratic Party's Judiciary Committee, held an emergency press conference stating, "The judgment explicitly states that 'the suspension itself was not illegal,'" and "The judiciary has reaffirmed that the suspension of Yoon (then Prosecutor General) was justified."

They added, "It is obvious that granting presidential power to someone who abused the Prosecutor General's authority will lead to even greater state power abuse," warning, "It will surpass the state corruption under the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations."

They concluded, "Candidate Yoon, who was judged by the judiciary as unqualified to be Prosecutor General, is showing typical double standards by greedily seeking the presidency," and stated, "Before running for election, candidate Yoon must first undergo investigation regarding allegations that he habitually abused power to protect himself and his family."

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