Kim Tae-woo "No communication with Yongsan after pardon... Park Jung-hoon's external pressure revelation is wrong"

Former Gangseo District Mayor Kim Tae-woo, CBS Radio Interview
"Police-Prosecutor Conflict? Fake Frame Aimed at Publicity"
"Park Jung-hoon's Exposure? Whistleblowing Is Not Always Right"

Kim Tae-woo, former mayor of Gangseo District in Seoul, who has expressed his intention to run again in the by-election for the Gangseo District Office scheduled for this October, dismissed the view that this election is a confrontation between the prosecution and the police as "nonsense" and called it a "fake frame aimed only at attracting attention." He also stated that he has not communicated separately with the Presidential Office regarding his re-election bid.

On the 8th, Kim appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "My previous job was the mayor of Gangseo District. (The Democratic Party's) candidate Jin Gyo-hoon was a police officer. Then it is a contest between a former mayor and a former police officer, so how can it be prosecution versus police?" He added, "This story, which is easy to exploit for entertainment, is really childish. Why do they keep trying to stir up fights?" Kim is a former prosecution investigator.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding criticism for running again in a by-election caused by his own fault, he said, "I first want to say without any hesitation that I am sorry," but also expressed his grievance, saying, "I was convicted solely for charges related to whistleblowing. It is not for election law violations or corruption charges."

He continued, "People keep talking about the cost of the by-election, which is over 4 billion won. It is true that the fault lies with me, but the main cause was an incorrect judgment," and claimed, "While achieving my long-cherished projects, I returned benefits worth several trillion won to the residents of Gangseo District. In this regard, my candidacy has legitimacy."

When asked if there had been any communication with the Presidential Office after his special pardon, he emphasized, "There was absolutely none. I can even provide my phone call records," and reiterated that he has not communicated with the Presidential Office regarding his re-election as Gangseo District mayor.

Regarding Park Jung-hoon, former head of the Marine Corps investigation team, who exposed allegations of external pressure related to the death of Marine Corporal Chae, Kim said, "I think (Park) was wrong," and added, "Just because someone reports a public interest whistleblowing internally does not automatically make it right. Whether someone is a whistleblower or not should be judged based on truthfulness."

Kim, a former prosecution investigator, was dispatched to the Blue House special inspection team during the Moon Jae-in administration and exposed allegations of cover-up of investigations involving former Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs Cho Kuk in 2018. Due to this, he was indicted on charges of leaking official secrets and was convicted by the Supreme Court in May, losing his mayoral position. However, he was reinstated last month through a special pardon on Liberation Day.

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