Opposition Forms Kim Ki-hyun Investigation Task Force... Kim "Actively Welcomes Forced Stubbornness" (Summary)

Yeo "If it were an opposition party member, they would have been investigated hundreds of times"
Kim "The result will end as a Democratic Party own goal"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] Kim Ki-hyun, a candidate running for the People Power Party's March 8 party representative election, responded to the Democratic Party's formation of a fact-finding task force regarding his 'KTX Ulsan Station area land speculation allegations' by saying he "actively welcomes" it.

On the 22nd, Kim wrote on Facebook, "The Ulsan mayoral election manipulation case has not even finished its first trial, yet the Democratic Party says they will investigate me, Kim Ki-hyun, again. I actively welcome it," adding, "Seeing them keep stirring up such baseless nonsense, I guess I must be a truly fearful figure to the Democratic Party."

He continued, "Moreover, the person who approved this road plan is Song Cheol-ho, the Ulsan mayor from the Democratic Party. If there was any illegality, why did the Democratic mayor not change the problematic route and instead approve it?" He added, "Stop firing warning shots and thoroughly investigate to reveal the truth behind these groundless suspicions against me in the name of the Democratic Party. The result will likely end as a self-inflicted wound for the Democratic Party."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, the Democratic Party announced that it would form a fact-finding task force regarding the People Power Party representative candidate Kim Ki-hyun's 'KTX Ulsan Station area land speculation allegations.' The provisional name is 'Kim Ki-hyun Land Speculation Allegations Fact-Finding Task Force.'

Park Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said after the morning supreme council meeting, "There are reports that Kim purchased 35,000 pyeong of land in 1998 for 38 million won. The current market value seems to be several tens of billions of won," and pointed out, "It is said that the price difference is over 1,000 times, and there seems to be no clear explanation about whether there was external pressure to change the KTX route at that time."

He added, "If an opposition party lawmaker had such (land speculation allegations with hundreds of billions in price difference), there would have been hundreds of investigations including searches," and said, "We will form the task force today and quickly appoint the head and members."

Kim was accused of purchasing undeveloped land for 38 million won in 1998, which became KTX station area land, now valued at 64 billion won. It is alleged that Kim exerted influence during the process of changing the Ulsan Station connecting road route to pass through land he owned, contrary to the original plan. Although Democratic Party lawmaker Yang Yi-won-young first raised this allegation in 2021, it was brought back into the spotlight when rival candidate Hwang Kyo-ahn mentioned it during a TV debate on the 15th.

After attending the Ulsan-Jeonnam mutual development agreement ceremony on the same day, Kim told reporters, "If there is anything to come out, let it all come out. It is truly absurd that my own party is causing such turmoil over someone who, even if thoroughly investigated, has nothing problematic."

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