정치

DPK says, ‘President and First Lady are heart of case,’ after release of recording

입력 2024.07.12 10:42

Park Yong-ha, Lee Yoo-jin

Lawmakers from opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea, the Rebuilding Korea Party, and the Progressive Party, as well as activists from civil society organizations, hold a joint press conference in front of the National Assembly on July 10 to condemn President Yoon Suk-yeol’s veto of a bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the death of Marine Corporal Chae Su-geun. Reporter Moon Jae-won

Following the release of a recording in which an accomplice in the Deutsch Motors stock price manipulation case said, "I will talk to the VIP," and lobbied Lim Sung-geun, the former Marine Corps 1st Division commander, who is suspected of obstructing the investigation into the death of Marine Corporal Chae Su-geun, opposition parties said a "smoking gun (conclusive evidence)” came out.

Park Chan-dae, the acting leader and floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), said at the Supreme Council meeting on July 10, "If the report is true, even kids know that First Lady Kim Keon-hee was the one who the accomplice of stock price manipulation used her as a reference in the lobby. It is a confession and a smoking gun that President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife are the heart of the case.” He added, "The need for a bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the death of Corporal Chae has grown due to Yoon and his wife's abusive use of the right of veto and the way of investigation exonerating responsible officials.”

Hwang Woon-ha, the leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, also emphasized at the party’s countermeasure meeting, "I was wondering why the government was trying so hard to block the investigation when only Lim's negligence needed to be acknowledged by the investigative authorities, but the recording file of the accomplice reported by the media, answered my questions."

The opposition raised the possibility of "government-level manipulation of public opinion" over the phrase "comment team" in Kim Keon-hee's text to Han Dong-hoon, the former leader of the ruling People’s Power Party. Park said, "If true, the government will not be able to avoid criticism that it is the worst manipulation of state affairs and a national scandal that makes the government deserve to be shut down.”