Steering Committee, Presidential Secretariat and National Security Office audit of government affairs
Minjoo’s ‘Yoon-Myeong phone call’ played repeatedly… National Power Claims “Edited Version”
The National Assembly’s reputation is tarnished by harsh language, shouting, and sarcasm, including ‘garbage’ remarks.
Kang Hye-kyung “Senior personnel, ask for help from the Ming”… National Powers “Legal Response”
The 22nd National Assembly’s first audit of the presidential secretariat was filled with attacks on suspicions of President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife’s involvement in the nomination process.
The Steering Committee conducted a government audit of the Presidential Secretariat, National Security Office, and Presidential Security Service at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul from the 1st to the 2nd. The government audit, which was originally expected to conclude on the 1st, was changed to a new order and continued past midnight.
The opposition party steering committee members launched a wave of attacks against President Yoon and First Lady Kim over suspicions of interference in nominations from the beginning of the National Assembly inspection. The ruling party defended that there was no legal problem, citing the fact that President Yoon was the elected president at the time of the phone call with Mr. Myeong. They also attempted a counterattack by raising the possibility that the recording file released by the Democratic Party was pieced together.
Rep. Yoon Jong-gun of the Democratic Party of Korea said, “If you look at the position of the President’s Office after the Myeong incident came to light, they said, ‘I don’t remember the President ever exchanging text messages or talking on the phone with Myeong after the (presidential) primary.’” He added, “At least after the primary.” “Isn’t it true that the fact that you didn’t call was a lie?” he asked.
To this, Jeong Jin-seok, the Chief of Staff of the President’s Office, responded, “You spoke based on memory.” He responded to Rep. Yoon’s point that he was ‘telling a blatant lie’ by saying, “You shouldn’t define it that way.”
Democratic Party lawmaker Noh Jong-myeon also requested Steering Committee Chairman Park Chan-dae, saying, “(The ruling party) is talking about manipulating and piecing together the transcripts, so please agree to play what was not broadcast (at today’s National Assembly Audit).” However, this did not happen as People Power Party lawmaker Bae Jun-young refused, saying, “If there is a proper original, we can reproduce it, but this itself is suspicious.”
Democratic Party lawmaker Choo Mi-ae said that the release of the recording of the phone call between President Yoon and Myung Tae-gyun revealed that the President’s office’s explanation that ”there has been no phone call since the primary election” was false, and requested the President’s Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok to recommend that President Yoon Seok-yeol resign from the presidency.
Director Jeong said, “I don’t think these words are befitting a top lawyer who served as Minister of Justice,” and dismissed them, saying, “Everything you have just said, without exception, is nothing more than raising groundless suspicions.”
On the other hand, the ruling party responded by raising suspicions that the recording of the phone call between President Yoon and Mr. Myung regarding the ‘nomination of former lawmaker Kim Young-seon’ was edited.
People Power Party lawmaker Kang Seung-gyu presented the results of an analysis by the Sound Research Institute that found evidence of arbitrary editing in a 17.5-second recording file containing President Yoon’s voice that the Democratic Party released the day before.
People Power Party lawmaker Kim Jeong-jae responded to Democratic Party lawmaker Go Min-jung’s comment that she was “astonished” by the remark in the KakaoTalk message Ms. Kim sent to Mr. Myeong that said, “That’s just the way it is when you’re ignorant,” and responded, “Should we play Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myeong’s profanity about his sister-in-law?” “What is truly shocking is Representative Lee,” he responded.
People Power Party lawmaker Kang Myeong-gu said of the release of the recording of the conversation between President Yoon and Mr. Myung the day before, “It is a kind of planned revelation (ahead of the government inspection).” He continued, “We need to find out whether the context (of the transcript) was cut out or edited,” and “If the Democratic Party released the edited transcript and raised suspicions of interference in the nomination, this is a very serious problem. “I ask that the President’s Office also look into whether or not it has been edited,” he said. Director Jeong responded, “I believe it is an issue that needs to be addressed by the judicial authorities.”
During the National Assembly audit, chaos ensued as opposition party members responded with shouts to People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-jin’s ’garbage’ remarks.
In a question to Director Jeong, Rep. Kwon said, “If the transcript of the President’s phone call that was exposed by the Democratic Party was edited and manipulated, and they are using this as grounds for impeachment and pushing for it, I think it is an act of disturbing the national flag. “We must request an investigation,” he said. Then, the opposition party members protested with the microphone turned off, saying, “We just need to conduct a special investigation,” and Rep. Kwon stopped them, saying, “Don’t interfere.”
However, when shouts to the effect of ‘launch a special investigation’ poured in, Representative Kwon responded, ”That is complete trash,” and the shouting between the ruling and opposition parties continued for a while.
Questions continued to be directed to Kang Hye-kyung, a key figure in the suspicion of interference in Ms. Kim’s nomination and a witness in the government audit.
Democratic Party lawmaker Jeong Jin-wook asked Kang, “The cost of the 81st public opinion poll (concerned with then-presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol) (conducted by the Future Korea Institute) was 375.2 million won. Did you receive this money?” “I was hoping that he would receive at least 300 million won for the cost of the public opinion poll, but
Mr. Kang also raised the claim that ruling party figures, including the People Power Party, requested Mr. Myung for help with the public opinion poll. Mr. Kang identified People Power Party lawmaker Kang Min-guk and said, “Don’t you know Mr. Myeong well? He also said, “Mr. Myeong said, ‘Congressman Kang should come and help me,’ so I conducted an opinion poll.”
In response, Rep. Kang said, “This is my first time seeing Mr. Kang, so he will have to take all legal responsibility,” and added, “(In the past), I once ordered a normal public opinion poll. With the help of lawyer No. 1 (former member) of the proportional representative of the Pine Tree Party founded by (former member of the National Assembly) Song Young-gil, he came to the National Assembly audit and (made remarks) in this way, and (along with Mr. Kang’s lawyer) filed a complaint at the People Power Party level. “I have no choice but to file a complaint,” he countered.
In this audit of government affairs, the ruling and opposition parties clashed over the issue of the accompanying order for First Lady Kim Kun-hee, who did not appear as a witness.
The steering committee held a plenary meeting during the government audit on the afternoon of the 1st and decided, led by the opposition party, to issue accompanying orders to a total of seven people, including First Lady Kim Kun-hee, who were selected as witnesses in the government audit but did not appear. The agenda was passed with 18 in favor and 9 abstentions among the 27 members present amid opposition from the ruling party.
Democratic Party lawmakers Yong-gi Yong-gi, Gyeong-jong Mo, and Jong-gun Yoon, who are members of the steering committee, left the National Assembly office and went to the Presidential Office building, saying they would personally deliver the accompanying order to Ms. Kim and others. However, it was impossible to enter the building because it was blocked by security. As the delivery of the accompanying order failed, the Democratic Party plans to take legal action against the witnesses who did not appear.
Ublic opinion poll and reported it according to the law, but this is not something I solicited.”
This heated exchange illustrated the ongoing tensions and accusations exchanged between members of the ruling People Power Party and the opposition Democratic Party during the National Assembly’s audit.
The audit has become a battleground for political posturing, as the opposition seeks to hold the government accountable for alleged misconduct related to the nomination process and potential interference by President Yoon and his administration. Meanwhile, the ruling party maintains that all actions taken by the President were within legal boundaries and accuses the opposition of fabricating evidence to bolster their claims.
The ongoing conflict appears to be fueled by deeper issues surrounding public trust and the integrity of the electoral process in South Korea, as both parties attempt to rally their bases ahead of future elections. The outcome of this audit may have significant implications for the political landscape in South Korea, particularly as investigations into alleged wrongdoing continue to unfold.