‘◆ [YTN Radio Shin Yool’s News Frontline]’,
– ‘■ Broadcast: FM 94.5 (17:00~19:00)’,
– ‘■ Broadcast Date: October 16, 2024 (Wednesday)’,
– ‘■ Host: Shin Yool, Professor of Political Science and Diplomacy, Myongji University’,
– ‘■ Guests: Jang Ye-chan, former Supreme Youth Committee Member of the People Power Party, Park Sung-min, former Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea’,
* Please note that the text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please refer to the broadcast for more accurate information.
‘◆ Shin Yool: We’ll start the second part of Shin Yool’s News Frontline. Continuing from part 1, we’ll continue with youth politics in Yeouido. Joining us in the studio today are former People Power Party Supreme Youth Committee Member Jang Ye-chan and former Democratic Party Supreme Council Member Park Sung-min. Now, we’ll discuss something slightly different from our previous conversation. Mr. Jang Ye-chan, the first time we met was during the TV debate for the Supreme Council elections when I was the moderator. But it’s the same now and then, right? Yet, Mr. Myung Tae-kyun posted about Mr. Jang Ye-chan on Facebook saying, “Ask the president before broadcasting. Your nose keeps getting longer.” What do you think about this?
– ‘★ Jang Ye-chan: I think this post was written after he listened to my radio talk this morning about certain suspicions. I have no personal response to this person and have always had a noted nose as a man. However, there are too many rumors surrounding Mr. Myung Tae-kyun. I don’t want to concentrate on each one and say this or that. The essence, when the news first broke out from News Tomato, was that it was a nomination intervention. But both the Reformist Party and those involved in nominations at the time, including Mr. Myung Tae-kyun, said there was no involvement. Thus, the primary suspicions have been resolved, but the discussion shifted to more personal historical facts and who did what during the presidential primaries. It’s more of a topic that draws a lot of curiosity, but unless Mr. Myung Tae-kyun exercised public authority via some nominations, no further evidence has emerged. Thus, at least from that aspect, the accusation of nomination intervention was indeed false and elsewhere political untold tales or personal narratives are attracting too much public attention; I find it quite wasteful.
‘☆ Park Sung-min: I don’t think it’s something to be taken lightly, because these ruling power figures initially dismissed Mr. Myung Tae-kyun as just another typical bragging act. But it’s now become hard to dismiss it as such because private messages exchanged with First Lady Kim Keon-hee have been made public, and Mr. Myung Tae-kyun himself revealed them. Moreover, he insinuated that there are more than 2000 pictures yet to be unveiled. Therefore, I get a sense of Mr. Myung Tae-kyun being like an onion with layers that keep revealing new things, and he appears quite confident, maybe even prevalent in self-assurance. It seems like he possesses evidence, not simply misusing the president or First Lady Kim Keon-hee’s names for personal benefits. Such connections appear overtly illegal. Particularly, the allegations of public opinion manipulation have emerged recently. If manipulated data, even from unpublished surveys, were used to bolster candidate Yoon Seok-yeol and if the presidential couple was, in any sense, complacent with receiving benefits for free, these could all potentially be legal issues. And so, I find it difficult to 100% trust Mr. Myung Tae-kyun’s words at face value. Still, what has become evident contradicts the presidential office’s previous explanations. It’s why the ability to handle Mr. Myung Tae-kyun could become increasingly challenging for the presidential office, thereby amplifying what is referred to as the ‘Myung Tae-kyun risk.’ The snowballing effect makes it a significant liability for the ruling bloc.
‘◆ Shin Yool: Do you agree?’
– ‘★ Jang Ye-chan: I’m not entirely sure which part of the presidential office’s explanation turns out to be false. Although Mr. Myung Tae-kyun disclosed past personal conversations, maintaining a consistent explanation centered on public authority misconduct, which allegedly did not occur through Mr. Myung Tae-kyun, is vital. As for nominations, even Mr. Myung Tae-kyun disagrees with that. Moreover, someone like former lawmaker Kim Young-seon, a senior legislator, could secure a primary election if moved to a challenging district; however, former lawmaker Kim Young-seon wasn’t granted even that opportunity, being cut off initially. The primary noise surrounding the situation is not the key, and Mr. Myung Tae-kyun himself drew a line saying it wasn’t about nomination interference. Considering this aspect, handling the story lightly or as gossip won’t hurt political progress much.
‘☆ Park Sung-min: It’s clear which parts of the presidential office’s explanations have faltered. Initially limiting their encounter to two times and crediting the introduction to Rep. Lee Jun-seok have been proven otherwise. At present, at least four meetings have been confirmed. Moreover, Mr. Kim Jong-in explained an instance of being introduced under different circumstances, following Representative Lee Jun-seok’s disproven text. Furthermore, contrary to claims of severed communication post-primary, lingering suspicions persist as potential interactions continued. Still, concerning the core relationship with First Lady Kim Keon-hee, the presidential office hasn’t communicated anything. However, Mr. Myung Tae-kyun’s disclosed conversations and situations like direct business ties between Mr. Myung Tae-kyun and First Lady Kim Keon-hee call for clarification from the presidential office, if not First Lady Kim Keon-hee herself.