Prosecution investigation to probe Myung Tae-kyun's involvement in the 2022 Gyeongnam gubernatorial election

[Anchor]

The Democratic Party has newly released a recording file indicating that Mr. Myung Tae-kyun exerted influence over the nomination for the Gyeongnam governorship.

This aspect also calls for an unavoidable prosecution investigation.

Reporter Lee Hyung-kwan reports.

[Report]

The Democratic Party released an additional recording of a conversation between Mr. Myung Tae-kyun and an acquaintance from early March 2022, just before the presidential election.

The recording suggests that Mr. Myung exerted influence to prevent Yoon Han-hong, a member of the People Power Party, from running in the Gyeongnam gubernatorial election.

[Myung Tae-kyun/March 2022: "Yoon Han-hong was cut off because of me. He was going to run for governor. I told then prosecutor Yoon that if Yoon Han-hong runs for (Gyeongnam) governor, Representative Hong wouldn't stay still."]

He also claimed that candidate Yoon Suk Yeol told him that he would not let Yoon (Han-hong) run for Gyeongnam governor.

[Myung Tae-kyun/March 2022: "Prosecutor Yoon called me twice to say that even if Yoon Han-hong was made the Minister of the Interior and Safety, he would not let him run for Gyeongnam governor because of 'Dr. Myung'."]

Additionally, he claimed to have introduced then-Representative Park Wan-soo, who was preparing to run for governor.

Given the allegations that Mr. Myung was deeply involved in the governor nomination process, this could lead to a prosecution investigation into the 'nomination interference' allegations.

Previously, former lawmaker Kim Young-sun stated in a call with former accounting officer Kang Hye-kyung that Governor Park benefited from Mr. Myung's actions.

[Kim Young-sun/Former Lawmaker - Kang Hye-kyung/May 2023: "Eighty percent of what Myung Tae-kyun did benefited Park Wan-soo. He became the governor of Gyeongnam."]

Mr. Myung also claimed that when candidate Yoon went out on local schedules, he met with Mrs. Kim Keon-hee at their private residence and, through her, blocked the appointment of Yoon Han-hong for presidential chief of staff.

[Myung Tae-kyun/March 2022: "(To Mrs. Kim Keon-hee) I told her, 'Yoon, you can't have him as a your chief of staff.' ... (Kim) immediately called her husband and said, 'I told Yoon Han-hong that it's not going to work out...'"]

In response, Yoon Han-hong dismissed the claims saying, "Mr. Myung's claims are all false," and Governor Park Wan-soo denied the allegations stating, "I received the nomination through the primary process."

This is KBS News Lee Hyung-kwan.