Myung Tae-kyun and Kim Young-sun arrested

Political broker Myung Tae-kyun and former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun were arrested early yesterday on charges of exchanging 76 million won related to Kim’s candidacy for the June 2022 parliamentary by-election. During the warrant review, prosecutors asserted that Myung had introduced Park Wan-soo, the former lawmaker for Changwon Uichang and now governor of South Gyeongsang Province, to President Yoon Suk Yeol, encouraging Park to run for governor. This, they argued, paved the way for Kim to run in the by-election. Prosecutors described Myung and Kim’s relationship as more than a mere partnership, characterizing it as a “political and economic community” that Myung held the upper hand.

Kang Hye-kyung, Kim’s financial officer and the intermediary in these transactions, claimed, “During the last presidential election, the Future Korea Research Institute, which was effectively operated by Myung, conducted 81 opinion polls at a cost of over 370 million won. This amount was not reimbursed by President Yoon’s camp but was instead compensated through Kim’s nomination.” A day before Kim’s nomination was announced, a recording surfaced of President Yoon telling Myung, “I asked for Kim Young-sun’s nomination, but there’s a lot of talk within the party.” This revelation makes an investigation into whether the nomination was part of a quid pro quo arrangement with President Yoon inevitable. The presidential office, however, argues that the conversation occurred a day before Yoon’s inauguration and is unrelated to his official duties. Yet, this reasoning seems insufficient to rule out an inquiry.

Prosecutors further disclosed that Myung shared internal polling data from the Future Korea Research Institute, which favored Kim, with Lee Jun-seok, then-chairman of the Reform Party. To fully understand the nature of these exchanges, it is crucial to investigate both Lee and Yoon Sang-hyun, who served as the chairman of the nomination management committee, as they were responsible for nomination-related decisions at the time.

It has also come to light that Myung received 5 million won from First Lady Kim Keon Hee. While Myung claims the money was for travel expenses between Changwon and Seoul and for purchasing snacks for children, such an explanation raises eyebrows. If prosecutors fail to conduct a thorough investigation, another reason for a special counsel investigation into the first lady will undoubtedly emerge.