Rival parties clash over Yoon’s involvement in land development scandal

Mar 08, 2022, 08:36 am

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Kim Man-bae, a key suspect in a land development scandal, speaks to the media before a court questioning at the Seoul Central District Court on Nov. 3, 2021./ Source: Yonhap

AsiaToday reporter Kim Na-ri

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) clashed Monday over a phone recording involving Hwacheon Daeyu’s largest shareholder Kim Man-bae allegedly clearing up an illegal loan scheme with help of lawyer Park Young-soo and PPP’s presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol. The ruling party called for a special investigation into the scandal, saying, “It has been revealed that Yoon Suk-yeol is the center of the Daejang-dong scandal.” The main opposition party refuted the media report, saying it is clearly false. The PPP also criticized that the report was aimed at hurting its presidential candidate.

The DP and its candidate Lee Jae-myung criticized Yoon for his alleged involvement in the Daejang-dong land development scandal. The ruling party issued seven related comments, saying, “It has been revealed that the essence of the Daejang-dong scandal was Yoon Suk-yeol.” “The person who turned a blind eye to the loan corruption involving Busan Savings Bank has been clearly revealed. The culprit is the then-prosecutor Yoon Suk-yeol,” DP spokesperson Kang Byung-won said. Another DP spokesperson Baek Hye-ryun called for a special investigation against Yoon.

“Lies can’t kill the truth. I believe in the wise judgement of the great people,” DP Lee Jae-myung said in relation to the phone recording of Kim Man-bae, after his campaign in Busan.

In response, the PPP claimed that it was political maneuvering, saying, “The phone recording is clearly false.” “It is political maneuvering to protect DP candidate Lee Jae-myung,” said the PPP’s campaign spokesperson Lee Yang-soo.

PPP’s campaign chief Kwon Young-se raised suspicions of manipulating the recording. “Many say there is evidence of manipulation,” Kwon said. “The recording is not the original version, and some parts are cut,” he added. “The transcript, which has been kept for six months, is now revealed three days ahead of the presidential election. This could serve against the DP,” Won Hee-ryong, the policy chief of the PPP’s presidential election committee, said in an interview with YTN Radio.

Earlier on Sunday, news outlet Newstapa unveiled a transcript of a conversation between Kim and former media workers’ union leader Shin Hak-lim, who is now an adviser to the news outlet, made on September 15, last year. According to the report, Kim handled the illegal lending by Busan Savings Bank, with help of prosecutor-turned-lawyer Park Young-soo and by-then prosecutor Yoon.

#Yoon Suk-yeol #land development #Daejang-dong #Lee Jae-myung