Lee, on 'Kim Man-bae Recording': "Falsehood Cannot Defeat Truth"... Opposition Calls It "Clear Falsehood"

Lee "The Truth of the Daejang-dong Incident Is Emerging Together"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is appealing for support from voters during a campaign rally held in front of Dunsan Galleria in Seo-gu, Daejeon on the afternoon of the 7th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 7th regarding the release of an audio file of Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, "Falsehood cannot overcome truth." The People Power Party immediately denied the content of the recording, calling it 'false.'

On the same day, Lee shared a report related to the audio file of Kim, a key figure in the Daejang-dong case and major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, on his Facebook, opening with, "The truth about the Busan Savings Bank case, which caused nearly 40,000 victims, is being revealed."

He expressed regret, saying, "If the Busan Savings Bank case had been properly investigated at the time, the damage might have been much less," and emphasized, "The truth of the Daejang-dong case is also coming to light." He added, "I trust the wise judgment of the great people."

Earlier, Newstapa released an audio file on the 6th, claiming it was a conversation between Kim and his acquaintance Shin Hak-rim, former chairman of the Media Union, from September last year. The media reported that Kim introduced Park Young-soo, former special prosecutor, to Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party candidate and then head of the Criminal Investigation Division 2 at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, at the request of broker Jo Woo-hyung during the 2011 Busan Savings Bank investigation.

In the audio file, Kim said, "I introduced someone who could get things done," and regarding the prosecution's investigation of Jo, he said, "Yoon Seok-youl asked, 'Are you Jo Woo-hyung?'..." and "Park (chief prosecutor) gave Jo coffee, did a few things, and then let him go. So that case disappeared," among other remarks.

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is appealing for support at the Pyeongtaek Station Plaza rally site in Gyeonggi on the evening of the 7th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The People Power Party responded by calling it "clearly false" and said, "Most of Kim's statements are lies." Lee Yang-su, senior spokesperson for the People Power Party's presidential campaign headquarters, stated in a press release, "It is natural not to believe Kim's excuses told to an acquaintance before the prosecution's investigation following the media reports on the 'Daejang-dong Gate,'" and criticized, "It is absurd to talk about 'lenient investigation' based on Kim's one-sided lies."

He continued, "Kim only makes statements protecting candidate Lee. A person whom the culprit tries to protect is an accomplice," and emphasized, "Candidate Yoon has never conducted lenient investigations for Jo or anyone related to the Busan Savings Bank investigation."

He also claimed, "Kim's unilateral assertions that he has no relation to candidate Lee are completely untrustworthy," and argued, "In the 'Daejang-dong Gate,' one must play a bigger role than Yoo Dong-gyu, who promised a bribe of 70 billion won, to receive more money. It is natural that candidate Lee, the final decision-maker and architect, is under suspicion."

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