Protecting 'Lee·Yoon'... Intensifying Daejang-dong Clash Between Ruling and Opposition Parties

Kim Man-bae Recording Released, Democratic Party Says "Reveal Directly"... People Power Party Calls It "False Information"

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] The political battle has entered a new phase following the release of a recording in which Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, mentioned Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party. The recording, in which Kim, currently in custody, tells Jeong Young-hak, the accountant and owner of Cheonhwa Dongin No. 5, another key figure, "If it's the card your brother has, Yoon Seok-yeol (People Power Party presidential candidate) is dead," has sparked sharp remarks from both ruling and opposition parties.

Immediately after the recording was made public, Woo Sang-ho, the general election campaign director of the Democratic Party of Korea, held an emergency briefing, stating, "The recording of Kim Man-bae has been released, and its content is quite shocking," adding, "It implies that there is something so significant in Kim's information that if revealed, it could politically destroy candidate Yoon."

He continued, "It is said that when Yoon's father sold his house, Kim's sister bought it. At the time, it was dismissed as a coincidence, but the recording suggests otherwise," explaining, "The recording confirms that Kim was involved to the extent of mobilizing his sister to assist the Yoon family."

Emphasizing Yoon's own explanation, Choi Kang-wook, a Supreme Council member, shared the phrase "If it's the card your brother has, he is dead" from the recording on Facebook, questioning, "Is Kim Man-bae the only one holding the card?" Similarly, lawmaker Kim Eui-gyeom criticized on Facebook, calling Yoon "in the grip of Kim Man-bae," and urged the prosecution to immediately launch an investigation into Kim Man-bae's remarks.

The People Power Party promptly counterattacked, announcing plans to file a complaint against lawmaker Kim Eui-gyeom right after the Lunar New Year holiday for spreading false information about candidate Yoon and Kim.

In particular, Lee Yang-su, chief spokesperson of the campaign headquarters, stated, "Kim Man-bae merely boasted falsely to his co-conspirators in the Daejang-dong gate who fear strict investigations," emphasizing, "There is absolutely no weakness or card that could be used against candidate Yoon. As revealed during the ruling party's personnel screening process and the Democratic Party's false negative campaigns, there is nothing to be concerned about."

He added, "We strongly regret that the Democratic Party, a public party, has exaggerated the conspiratorial conversations of the key figures in the Daejang-dong gate as if they were significant and spread false suspicions related to candidate Yoon."

Calls for the introduction of a special prosecutor for the Daejang-dong case continue. Kim Ki-hyun, floor leader of the People Power Party, urged again for the appointment of a special prosecutor regarding the investigation into allegations surrounding Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, stating, "The prosecution and police have not even touched the tip of the issue." Kim criticized, "The prosecution and police are only worried about blocking unfavorable investigations into the living power, fearing even the smallest spark might affect the regime. Political prosecutors and political police should be ashamed before the people."

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