An audio file of a phone call between President Yoon Seok-yul and Myung Tae-gyun, in which President Yoon mentionedthe nomination of former People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker Kim Young-sun, was made public on October 31. The recording reveals Yoon stating that he instructed the party to nominate Kim for Changwon’s Uichang district in Gyeongnam Province ahead of the June 2022 by-elections, causing a stir. The presidential office responded, explaining that he was “simply speaking in a positive manner,” yet the allegations surrounding Yoon’s involvement in the nomination process have now reached a critical turning point.

The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) held an emergency press conference at the National Assembly that day, releasing the transcript of a phone call between President Yoon and Myung.

In the call from May 9, 2022, which was disclosed during the press conference, President Yoon said to Myung, “When the NMC (Nomination Management Committee) brought (the proposal for nomination) to me, I said, ‘I saw Kim Young-sun working hard during the primaries, so let’s give this to Kim Young-sun,’ but there’s been a lot of talk within the party.”

Myung replied, “I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life.” The next day, on May 10—also the day of President Yoon’s inauguration—the PPP confirmed Kim’s nomination for the district.

This is the first time that President Yoon’s involvement in Kim’s candidacy has been revealed through a direct audio recording. Until now, previous audio files only showed Myung relaying his conversations with either President Yoon or First Lady Kim Keon-hee to a third party. The release of this audio file, where President Yoon himself directly discusses the nomination issue with Myung, is expected to heighten suspicions of interference in the nomination process.

The DPK explained that about a month later, on June 15,2022, Myung played the call in the presence of an unidentified acquaintance, who either recorded it or had a third party present who did.

Another recording of Myung’s conversation released by the DPK suggests that Mrs. Kim Keon-hee was beside President Yoon during the May 9, 2022, call between President Yoon and Myung. This second conversation occurred on June 15, 2022, and captures Myung playing the recording of his call with President Yoon, after which he spoke to an unidentified acquaintance who was present.

Myung stated, “His wife (Mrs. Kim Keon-hee) was next to him and said, ‘Oppa (President Yoon), didn’t you take care of that for Mr. Myung? As president, should you really make Mr. Myung feel so alarmed that he has to call in the morning like this?’ Then he (President Yoon) looked at his wife (Mrs. Kim) and said, ‘I made it clear.’”

He added, “And then, right after I hung up the phone, his wife (Mrs. Kim) called me, saying, ‘I’ve informed Yoon Sang-hyun. Please keep this confidential and come to the inauguration tomorrow.’”

“This is indisputable evidence that President Yoon illegally intervened in the nomination process and that there was a deal, proving it to be a matter that disrupts the constitutional order,” said Park Chan-dae, the DPK’s floor leader. Lee Jae-myung added, “This is a very serious situation because it appears that he not only intervened in the nominations but effectively directed and commanded it.”

The DPK also announced plans to release additional audio recordings. “We will share the recordings at a later date and provide an explanation of their content,” said Park Sung-joon, the party’s deputy floor leader.

The presidential office issued a statement on the same day, stating, “President-elect (at the time) Yoon Seok-yul never received a report on the nomination from the Nomination Management Committee, nor did he give any orders regarding the nomination.” The statement added, “(The content of the call) was simply Yoon responding politely to Mr. Myung, who kept bringing up Kim Young-sun’s nomination.”