Hongyeol Kim, Cheongyang County Governor Candidate, Accused of Persuading Acquaintance Over Election Law Violation Allegations

Sangcheol Han, Chairman of the Saemaul Association in Bibong-myeon, is holding a press conference on the 24th at Cheongyang County Office, stating that Hongyeol Kim, the People Power Party candidate for Cheongyang County governor, attempted to persuade him regarding election law.

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An audio recording has been released suggesting that Hongyeol Kim, the preliminary candidate for Cheongyang County Governor from the People Power Party, attempted to persuade an acquaintance regarding allegations of violating election law.

Sangcheol Han, Chairman of the Saemaul Association in Bibong-myeon and a self-identified member of the People Power Party, made public the recorded phone conversation with candidate Kim at the Cheongyang County Office press room on the 24th.

The recording contains circumstances in which Kim allegedly tried to conceal the crime and lessen his own legal responsibility by pressuring a longtime supporter to take sole responsibility in their testimony.

Chairman Han stated that at the end of October last year, during a Gochujang-making event held at the Bibong-myeon Welfare Center, he received red ginseng drinks with tablets and canned coffee from candidate Kim.

He explained, "Because there were many people at the event, I could not distribute the drinks that day. Instead, I gave them to women's association leaders and township presidents at an opening ceremony held a few days later, specifying that they were from candidate Kim."

Chairman Han revealed that he received several persuasive phone calls from candidate Kim ahead of the election commission's investigation.

The transcript made public by Han includes content where Kim tries to persuade him, saying, "Let’s agree that you kept the drinks I gave you out of gratitude a year ago and then distributed them yourself."

He explained that during the election commission's investigation, his phone was forensically analyzed, and the automatically recorded file containing evidence of Kim’s attempts at persuasion was seized by the authorities.

After the incident, as rumors spread from Kim’s camp alleging that Han was lying, Chairman Han held a press conference to express his frustration and clarify the situation.

Chairman Han emphasized, "I was disappointed to see someone who should represent the residents and solve their difficulties trying to evade responsibility and shift the blame onto others," adding, "I want to question whether he is truly qualified to lead Cheongyang County."

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