February 19, 2025
Seoul – Two forward-looking presidential candidates who rule the People's Power Party have publicly denied any relationship with pollsters and self-proclaimed political agent Myung Tae-Kyun, who reappeared at the heart of a major political controversy, whom he and the first A transcript of the conversation between Mrs. Kim Keon Hee.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-Se-Hoon, one of the Conservative president's contenders, dismissed local reports on Tuesday, accusing him of contact with Myung Tae-Kyun, who claimed to have met with OH four times in support of his participation in Seoul in 2021 Mayor by-election campaign.
Myung is currently in custody on allegations of interfering with the candidates of former BJP MP Kim Young-Sun in the 2022 by-election.
Oh, denied the allegations Tuesday in Facebook posts, saying they were “exaggerated lies are lies by fraudsters.”
His Facebook post entitled “The lies of the liar will eventually come at a price.” He cuts off his ties with Myung after pointing out issues with Myung’s test opinion polls.
Oh wrote: “I have firmly pointed out that I have not made any requests or discussions with Myung Tae-Kyun since pointing out his first test opinion poll and contacting him for cuts.”
Oh, further dismissing the claim that he, Myung and Oh partner Kim Han-jung met together, calling them a “blatant lie” and threatening to target Myung's legal representative and media lawsuits that released the report.
Earlier in the day, local media including Kyunghyang Shinmun and Nocut News reported that Myung told prosecutors he had met OH several times before the 2021 mayoral by-election contest, and he was also allegedly involved in 2022 The by-election of former Rep. Kim Young-Sun for lawmakers.
Ohio reportedly seeks help from Myung to conduct polls with OH sponsor Kim Han-jung to facilitate his campaign to pay for it. The report added that prosecutors have obtained bank records showing Kim transferred 33 million won ($22,900) to colleagues in five transactions.
Similarly, Dagu Mayor Hong Joon-Pyo, who is seen as another potential presidential candidate for the ruling BJP, also dismissed his speculation that he has a connection with Myung.
“I have never had any interaction with a political agent like Myung Tae-Kyun, who manipulated public opinion,” Hong wrote on Facebook Tuesday.
Oh and Hong filed a defamation complaint against Myung in December, accusing him of falsely claiming to contact them and damage their reputation.
The allegations restore speculation that Myung is engaged in political activities, especially among the ruling BJP officials.
Myung is the center of the controversy after Nam Sang-Kwon, one of Myung's legal representatives. General election on April 10, 2024.
Nam added that Myung's lawyers reconstructed the transcripts during a visit with him. However, he admitted that they could not verify whether the actual voice record of the conversation existed.
This revelation rekinds doubts about the First Lady’s influence in politics, including allegations of her interference in election candidates.
Nan said the call happened between February 16 and 19 last year, about two months before the April election, and it was reported that Kim and the First Lady spoke five to six times during this period.
According to the transcript, the first lady allegedly asked Myung to help former prosecutor Kim Sang-Min secure the nomination of a council candidate in Uichang-Gu, Changwon, South Longwang Sang province. Kim Sang-Min, who was then the current prosecutor, announced his candidacy in January last year but was later laid off by the nomination process.
The transcript shows that the first lady also contacted Rep. Yoon Han-hong. However, Yoon later issued a statement denied the claim.
As the investigation reached a critical stage, these political scandals and the core of Myung received great attention and were transferred to the Seoul Central District Attorney's Office.
On Monday, the Changwang District Attorney's Office announced that it would shift the investigation to allegations about Myung Tae-Kyun's role in election nominations, which are related to President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee.
This decision was made because key figures, including Kim, live in Seoul rather than Changwang. To maintain continuity, a dedicated investigative team from the Changfang Company office will move to Seoul to continue the investigation.
