◀ Anchor ▶
If what Myung Tae-gyun said in the recording is true, it means that President Yoon Seok-yeol has continued to keep in touch with Myung even after taking office.
However, just two days ago, the President’s Chief of Staff said, “I have not had any contact with Mr. Myung since President Yoon took office.”
Suspicion is growing that they are just repeating ‘false explanations’ again.
Reporter Hong Eui-pyo reports.
◀ Report ▶
The President’s Office has largely remained silent regarding Myung Tae-gyun’s revelations and the ‘suspicion of intervention in Ms. Kim Kun-hee’s nomination’ that first surfaced last September.
Then, early last month, when Mr. Myung mentioned ‘impeachment’ and ‘resignation’, the President’s Office made its first statement in a month.
President Yoon has met with Mr. Myung twice since July 2021, before joining the People Power Party, and “I don’t remember having any contact with Mr. Myung after the party’s primary.”
However, on May 9, 2022, a day before the inauguration ceremony, when the audio of President Yoon saying to Mr. Myeong, “Kim Young-sun please do something,” was released, criticism followed that the President’s Office had made a ‘false explanation’.
The President’s Office took a stance again two hours later.
“I was just speaking positively because Mr. Myung kept talking about the nomination,” and the explanation at the time was not a “false,” but an explanation that the “memory” may not be accurate.
At the same time, he changed his explanation to say, “There were no additional phone calls between President Yoon and Mr. Myeong after his inauguration.”
Presidential Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok appeared at the National Assembly audit last Friday and even emphasized that President Yoon “crushedly cut off Mr. Myeong’s assistance midway.”
[정진석/대통령 비서실장(지난 1일)]
“As far as I know, the President has had no contact with Myung Tae-gyun, who is appearing now, after taking office. The essence is that he cut off Myong Tae-gyun’s assistance midway, and in fact, it is said that he cut it off coldly.”
However, according to the contents of Myung Tae-gyun’s new recording file exclusively obtained by MBC, it is said that President Yoon has continued to contact Mr. Myeong even after taking office.
If Myung’s claims are true, it seems difficult to avoid criticism that the President’s Office is repeatedly providing ‘false explanations’ without even verifying the facts.
The President’s Office has not responded to MBC’s inquiry as to whether Myeong’s claim that he had been in contact with President Yoon even after his inauguration was true.
This is Hong Eui-pyo from MBC News.
Video Editing: Moon Cheol-hak / Design: Jo Yoon-ha
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