Opposition Kim Eun-hye: "Why Were Food Deliveries to Kim Hye-kyung's Residence Always on Tuesday and Friday Evenings?"... Ruling Party Calls It "Baseless Suspicion"

Opposition: "Suspicion Over Presidential Election Preparation Team Dormitory"
Ruling Party: "Baseless Negativity, Will Hold Strict Legal Responsibility"

Kim Eun-hye, member of the People Power Party./Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Kim Eun-hye, a member of the People Power Party, expressed suspicion regarding allegations that Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, operated a presidential campaign preparation organization by setting up a dormitory next door to his residence during his tenure as Governor of Gyeonggi Province. She said, "Upon carefully examining the timing when a 7th-grade public official (the whistleblower) delivered food to the home of Kim Hye-kyung (Lee’s spouse), there was a distinct pattern of deliveries on Tuesday and Friday evenings."

On the 20th, Kim posted on her Facebook, "Why was it always specifically Tuesday and Friday dinners? There are several possible reasons, and we are currently gathering related testimonies." She added, "According to the whistleblower, the instruction seemed to be to leave immediately after delivering the food. They were not even allowed to approach rooms 2401 and 2402."

Kim continued, "A 5th-grade public official named Bae, who gave these instructions, appeared to constantly monitor the CCTV aimed at the hallway from the entrance of room 2401. It is said that he scolded the whistleblower, who could not leave quickly, with a message along the lines of 'I’m watching everything,'" and questioned, "If this was an official meeting where food was provided using a corporate card, what was there to hide that a perfectly normal 7th-grade public official had to leave the delivery food behind as if being chased?"

She further stated, "The couple living next door, who had lived in a family-owned house for decades, suddenly moved out ahead of Lee’s presidential primary race," and pressed, "Regarding the issue in August 2020, whether the relocation of GH (Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation) employees actually took place, and when the four employees reportedly living in room 2402 started residing there, we have yet to receive a response from GH."

Earlier, Kim Ki-hyun, the floor leader of the People Power Party, also claimed, "The public wants to know the truth about room 2402." At a joint meeting between the election campaign headquarters and the floor leadership on the 17th, he said, "Piecing things together, there is a reasonable suspicion that the corporation’s dormitory was moved next to Lee’s residence in August 2020 to prepare his presidential campaign pledges," adding, "They secretly prepared Lee’s presidential campaign as a shadow presidential campaign organization in Sunae-dong, and there is suspicion that Kim Hye-kyung supported them using the blood tax of Gyeonggi residents."

On the 20th, Kim Eun-hye, a member of the People Power Party, posted on her Facebook targeting Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Kim, member of the National Assembly Facebook capture

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party rebutted these claims as "clear falsehoods." The Democratic Party’s election campaign public relations team stated on the 17th, "Gyeonggi Urban Corporation explained that the dormitory is used by two deputy managers and two regular employees responsible for the Pangyo project team’s development project, and this fact has been confirmed through media coverage," adding, "The corporation reportedly has over 100 employee dormitories."

They also said, "Neither the candidate nor the campaign headquarters are aware of the corporation’s dormitory and have no reason to be involved with it. There is no reason to place the campaign organization in Bundang," and warned, "We urge the People Power Party to immediately stop making baseless allegations. If they continue to spread groundless negative claims, we will hold them legally accountable in a strict manner."

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