Yeo: "Yoon Seok-yeol in Kim Man-bae's Grip, Doubts Over Properly Governing the Country"

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, visited Gangnam Station in Seoul on the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, greeting citizens and taking commemorative photos. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] As a recording of Hwacheon Daeyu major shareholder Kim Man-bae mentioning Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, was released, the Democratic Party of Korea continued its offensive, saying "Yoon Seok-yeol is in Kim Man-bae's grasp."

Woo Sang-ho, the head of the Democratic Party's presidential campaign headquarters, said at a briefing at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 30th, "Yesterday, the recording of Kim Man-bae was released," adding, "The content is quite shocking, and Kim's remarks imply that if he reveals what he knows, Candidate Yoon will be seriously hurt."

Woo said, "It suggests that there is something so significant in Kim's information that if it is disclosed, Candidate Yoon would be politically dead."

He continued, "If a leading presidential candidate has weaknesses caught by an experienced legal reporter, it raises questions about whether he can properly govern the Republic of Korea," and urged, "We request a clear statement on this matter."

Woo also expressed suspicion, saying, "One of the facts that made us doubt the relationship between Kim and Candidate Yoon was that Kim's sister bought Yoon Seok-yeol's father's house when it was sold," adding, "At the time, it was dismissed as a coincidence, but after listening to Kim's recording, it seems it cannot be overlooked like that."

He claimed, "As someone representing Yeonhui-dong at the time, I conducted a thorough investigation of real estate agencies," and "I confirmed that Yoon Seok-yeol's side's explanation that the house was listed at 10 places was false."

He reiterated, "From that perspective, the recording indicating a collusive relationship between Candidate Yoon and Kim, and that Kim holds key information that could threaten or influence Candidate Yoon, is not something to be taken lightly."

He added, "Candidate Yoon himself needs to provide a direct explanation."

Earlier, the YouTube channel Open Sympathy TV released a recording in which Kim Man-bae told accountant Jeong Young-hak, who is suspected of special favors in the Daejang-dong development project, "Yoon Seok-yeol would die if he had the card that I (Kim Man-bae) hold."

In response, the Democratic Party tightened its offensive against Candidate Yoon. Assemblyman Kim Eui-gyeom criticized on Facebook, saying, "Yoon Seok-yeol is in Kim Man-bae's grasp," and urged, "The prosecution must immediately start an investigation into Kim Man-bae's remarks."

Also, Choi Kang-wook, a Supreme Council member from the Open Democratic Party who recently joined the Democratic Party, shared the phrase "He would die if he had the card that his brother holds" from the recording on Facebook, questioning, "Is Kim Man-bae the only one holding the card?"

The People Power Party immediately rebutted the Democratic Party's offensive. Lee Yang-su, the senior spokesperson for the People Power Party's presidential campaign headquarters, said at a briefing that day, "The Democratic Party is making false smokescreens based on Kim Man-bae's lies and exaggerations," and stated their intention to file a complaint for spreading false information.

He emphasized, "Candidate Yoon clearly states that he has no friendship or relationship with Kim Man-bae."

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