Jo Eungcheon "Song Younggil Just Come In on Your Own... That's More Dignified"

"Issue of Prosecutors' Disclosure of Suspect Facts"

Cho Eung-cheon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the continuous leak of former Deputy Secretary-General Lee Jeong-geun's voice recordings related to the Democratic Party's 2021 party convention 'money envelope suspicion' through the media, calling it "the prosecution's disclosure of suspect facts." Regarding former party leader Song Young-gil, who is staying in Paris, he said, "He should come back on his own."

On the 14th, Cho said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "How did this (voice file) get into the hands of the media? This is an important piece of evidence. This is the disclosure of suspect facts. This is really a problem that cannot be overlooked."

Song Young-gil, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Seoul mayor, is leaving the campaign office in Jung-gu, Seoul, after holding a press conference acknowledging his defeat on the 1st. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

He added, "But Lee Jeong-geun's cellphone is with the prosecution. It couldn't have gone to the media together, right?" and "This should come out in court at the appropriate time."

When asked by the host about the possibility of the recordings being released through a lawyer, Cho said, "That possibility exists. But I don't know for sure. Anyway, this should not come out before the trial," adding, "I definitely want to point out that issue."

There are also remarks that former party leader Song Young-gil, who was elected at the 2021 party convention, cannot escape suspicion. The ruling party leadership collectively targeted Song the day before, demanding him to "clarify his position" and raising suspicions. There were reports that former Deputy Secretary-General Lee sent a text message implying that money envelopes were delivered to Song's aide. Cho said, "If that's true, assuming it is, Song said from Paris that 'this is Lee Jeong-geun's personal misconduct,' but given this, isn't that a bit unconvincing?"

When asked whether the investigation would expand to include Song, Cho said, "I think it would be better if he came back on his own," adding, "That would be more dignified." He suggested that returning to the country and undergoing investigation directly would gain public trust. When asked if it would be better for the Democratic Party to proactively conduct a fact-finding investigation, Cho said, "That would be better. To restore public trust."

Regarding the 'money envelope suspicion,' Yoon Kwan-seok, a Democratic Party lawmaker who was recently subjected to a search and seizure, has countered the media reports of former Deputy Secretary-General Lee's voice recordings as 'splicing.' However, Cho pointed out that the 'splicing' explanation is not very effective. He said, "Vivid voice recordings are coming out daily through the media. If Yoon says it's 'splicing,' then we will present the evidence. What will you do then?" He expressed concern, saying, "If they say it's spliced or fabricated, they will be cornered even more."

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