Taeyoungho's Explanation on 'Recording Scandal and Donation Splitting'... "Will Pursue Legal Responsibility"

Press Conference Held at National Assembly Communication Office on the Afternoon of the 3rd
"We Will Firmly Resist the Attempt to Destroy Tae Young-ho"

Rep. Taeyoungho of the People Power Party recently issued clarifications on the 3rd regarding incidents related to himself, stating that “there was no nomination discussion with Lee Jinbok, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Presidential Office.” However, he indicated a strong response, saying he would hold legal responsibility for illegal recordings and the leakage of donor lists.

On the same day, Rep. Tae held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office in the afternoon and declared, “I will resolutely stand against attempts to destroy Taeyoungho.”

Tae Young-ho, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, is answering questions from reporters after an emergency press conference on current issues at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 3rd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Rep. Tae first explained the matter concerning the recorded transcript. On the 1st, media reports revealed audio of Rep. Tae allegedly saying that Senior Secretary Lee requested him to make remarks defending Korea-Japan relations while discussing nomination issues. He stated, “The essence of this incident is that during a meeting attended by the entire staff, I made remarks to reassure the staff who were worried about nominations despite my election as a Supreme Council member at the party convention, encouraging them to focus on activities as a Supreme Council member dedicated to the success of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. Someone among the attendees secretly recorded these remarks and leaked them with malicious intent.” He emphasized, “I clearly state that I had no conversations whatsoever with Lee Jinbok, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Presidential Office, regarding the direction of my Supreme Council member remarks or nominations.”

He also strongly denied allegations of receiving so-called “split donations.” Rep. Tae said, “I declare here that I am proud to have no blemishes whatsoever regarding fundraising,” adding that donations from city and district council members do not constitute “splitting,” and that these council members voluntarily donated to the media. To avoid misunderstandings about nomination bribes, he emphasized, “I even returned donations made by prospective candidates ahead of last year’s local elections.”

Furthermore, Rep. Tae stated, “Through the TaeyounghoTV YouTube channel, I have never fallen short of the principle of receiving 150 million won annually from numerous small donors, and thousands of donors are small contributors nationwide whom I have never met.” He added, “It is a serious illegal act to know all the identities of donors, including information that could not be known without official access, and to hand over the list to the media. I will hold those responsible legally accountable.”

He also hinted at strong legal action against various rumors and leakers related to his office. Some YouTube channels have been attempting to identify former aides of Rep. Tae as the source of the leaked recordings. In response, Rep. Tae said, “My heart aches as my aides who have worked with me are going through very difficult times,” but added, “Those who illegally recorded and leaked internal staff meeting contents held in the National Assembly, where important national secrets and information are handled, will be thoroughly identified through investigation.”

Rep. Tae continued, “There will be more slanderous political attacks, behind-the-scenes operations, and fake news aimed at ousting me from politics, and attempts to destroy Taeyoungho will intensify. However, I will never yield. I may be bent, but I will not bow. The more I am hit, the stronger I will become?a steel-like politician.”

Meanwhile, Kim Gi-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, has requested that the Central Ethics Committee merge the disciplinary procedures already initiated regarding Rep. Tae’s controversies for joint review. After attending a Korea International Trade Association meeting in the afternoon, Kim told reporters, “After further verifying the facts, I think we need to evaluate that the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs did not actually say those things, but Rep. Tae exaggerated them, causing unnecessary misunderstandings and placing a considerable burden on the party.”

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