Democratic Party Targets Kim Hye-kyung Allegation Whistleblower, Posts and Deletes "What Is Your Relationship with People Power Party?"

Posted 'Campaign Committee Position' on Yeo Kim Byung-wook's Facebook, Now Deleted
"Kim Hye-kyung Deeply Hurt... Excessive Reporting Close to False News"

Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The Democratic Party of Korea has issued a warning to media outlets that reported allegations of misuse of corporate cards and personal use of public officials by Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, stating, "They must take responsibility for their reports if proven to be false." The party also expressed suspicion about former Gyeonggi Provincial Government official A, who exposed the allegations, saying, "We have doubts about any connections with the People Power Party."

Kim Byung-wook, head of the Functional Headquarters of the Democratic Party’s Presidential Election Committee (PEC), posted on Facebook on the 6th a statement titled 'PEC Position on SBS and KBS Reports Regarding Kim Hye-kyung,' outlining these points.

The PEC stated, "Kim Hye-kyung has already suffered significant damage regardless of the truth due to reports claiming she received 'imperial treatment,'" and criticized SBS by asking, "We first want to know how much effort SBS made to verify the facts related to this report." They added, "There was misinformation from the start. A, who claimed Kim treated others like slaves, was described as a Grade 7 public official on the broadcast, but in reality, A is a Grade 8 and a 'special appointment' employee."

The PEC denied the allegations that Kim ordered public officials to run personal errands, saying, "They claim she ordered side dish procurement, food delivery, and medicine purchases, but even if some of these occurred, they were under the direction of Deputy Director B at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, and Kim was neither involved nor aware." They emphasized, "Looking at the structure of the case, whoever gave orders to A was Deputy Director B, not Kim, which is clear."

They further stated, "This reminds us of notorious past false reports such as 'President Kim Dae-jung’s Ilsan residence as a palace,' 'President Roh Moo-hyun’s Jinyeong residence as a palace,' and 'Roh Moo-hyun’s luxury watch scandal.' Can the media rely solely on tips without evidence to make such critical reports that could deal a decisive blow to a candidate during the presidential election?"

A post titled "The Election Committee's Position on SBS and KBS Reports" uploaded on June 6 on Facebook by Rep. Kim Byung-wook, head of the Functional Headquarters of the Democratic Party's Election Committee, regarding suspicions involving Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. / Photo by Rep. Kim's Facebook capture

Regarding reports that Kim purchased meals such as beef for home consumption using corporate cards, the PEC explained, "These were purchased for official use." They added, "The two refrigerators where the beef was stored are located not in a private home but in the office on the third floor of the official residence, and most of the purchases were for official purposes. Kim did not consume any of it personally."

On the suspicion of 'corporate card swapping payments,' they said, "Have you checked the corporate card usage records for the dates provided by the whistleblower? On April 14, 2021, at 12:40:58, A canceled a payment of 118,000 won made with their personal card and then at 12:41:32, recharged the same amount using the Gyeonggi corporate card," adding, "The problem is that there is no record of the 118,000 won corporate card usage that A allegedly swapped."

The PEC declared, "At this point, we reveal our suspicion about any relationship between A and the People Power Party. Deputy Director B testified that 'there is no connection between A and Kim,' but A, for some grudge, recorded phone calls and captured Telegram messages, then approached broadcasters to make reports," targeting A.

They continued, "If any wrongdoing is confirmed, we will repeatedly apologize and take responsibility. However, if false facts were fabricated or minor facts exaggerated and reported to media outlets, not only the person involved but also the media outlets that failed to thoroughly verify the facts and made excessive reports close to misinformation, causing irreparable damage, will be held accountable accordingly." However, this statement has mysteriously disappeared from Kim’s Facebook page.

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