New evidence reveals Yoon's intervention in the by-election nomination

The forensic analysis of the phone belonging to Myung Tae-kyun, a political broker accused of wielding undue influence over President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee, has unveiled further evidence of presidential interference in parliamentary election nominations. The investigation revealed a voice recording in which President Yoon was heard discussing the election nomination of former lawmaker Kim Young-sun. In the recording, Yoon states, “I will tell once again Yoon Sang-hyun since he is the commissioner of the election nomination committee.” The recording also reveals that 40 minutes after this conversation, First Lady Kim contacted Myung, saying, “[the president-elect] made a call just now, and it will be all okay.” The recording, which was obtained by the prosecution, provides crucial insight into the extent of presidential involvement in the election process.

Earlier, a recording surfaced in which President Yoon told Myung Tae-kyun, "I told the election nomination committee to [pick] Kim Young-sun." Yoon subsequently denied this statement during a press conference last month, during which he contradicted the claim. However, the newly revealed conversation supports the allegation that President Yoon did, in fact, instruct Yoon Sang-hyun, the election nomination commissioner for the parliamentary by-election, to nominate former lawmaker Kim Young-sun as a candidate. The conversation also confirm‎s that First Lady Kim was aware of the president's intervention in the process.

Despite President Yoon's claim that "to my knowledge, it was Jeong Jin-seok, the chief of staff, who headed the by-election nomination committee," this statement has now been exposed as false. Yoon had attempted to justify his lack of involvement by asserting that his focus was consumed by his inauguration, but this explanation appears to be a deliberate misrepresentation to the public. While President Yoon also denied instructing Myung Tae-kyun to conduct a public survey, the prosecution has revealed that it obtained messenger app records showing exchanges between Myung, President Yoon, and First Lady Kim on at least four occasions regarding an undisclosed public survey report. This development lends credibility to the suspicion that Myung conducted a public survey on the president's behalf in return for securing the nomination of former lawmaker Kim Young-sun.

The forensic analysis of Myung Tae-kyun's phone, which he used from September 2019 to November 2023—covering the presidential, municipal, and by-election periods—has yielded disturbing revelations. Myung remarked, "If the content is revealed, the whole nation will be upended." According to Myung, he had daily phone conversations with President Yoon during the presidential campaign and more details could emerge. What other explosive revelations might be uncovered in the days ahead?