DP chief whistleblower demands former boss confess to misusing tax money for personal expenses

Former Gyeonggi government's employee Cho Myeong-heyon accused DP Chief Lee Jae-myung and his wife Kim Hye-kyung of using Gyeonggi taxes for personal expenses including delivering foods and ordering public employees to run personal errands.

Former Gyeonggi government's employee Cho Myeong-hyeon, who claimed had run errand when the Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was the governor, holds a press briefing at the National Assembly on Wednesday. Cho, who was approved by the DP earlier to stand witness during a National Assembly audit on Thurday, was denied by the DP. [YONHAP]

A former Gyeonggi governor’s office employee under then-governor Lee Jae-myung has come forward to demand his former boss come clean on misusing Gyeonggi taxes for personal expenses, including food delivery.

Lee Jae-myung is currently the chief of the Democratic Party (DP).

“The acts that Lee Jae-myung and his wife Kim Hye-kyung committed are not small wrongs,” said Cho Myeong-hyeon, the former Gyeonggi government employee, during a press briefing held at the National Assembly on Wednesday. “There were clear criminal acts that should not have happened.”

“Can you call yourself a politician who understands and takes on the grievance of the people, a politician who is concerned with the livelihood of the ordinary people, when you yourself have used taxes from the people’s sweat and blood for your own personal use without any guilt, and with absolute authority used public employees like your own servants?” Cho said. “How could you promise the people you would build a better world for them?”

“I would like to ask Lee Jae-myung, who claimed that he had fought against injustice, what was the world you wanted to make?” Cho said.

Cho demanded that the DP allow him to appear as a witness at the National Assembly’s policy committee audit.

The DP, which earlier agreed to accept Cho as a witness, retracted after realizing who he was.

“I stand here today because I wanted to speak out on what I had to say at the National Assembly audit, which I was supposed to appear before tomorrow before my invitation was canceled,” Cho said.

“I hope Lee Jae-myung will take full responsibility for all the wrongs he had committed and apologize to the public and me personally,” Cho said.

“It is more comforting to speak the truth than to lie,” Cho said. “To Lee Jae-myung, I hope you will find peace by telling the truth.”

Cho made his first public appearance since accusing his former boss of misusing the Gyeonggi budget to order takeout, including sushi, and disguising it as official business.

Cho also said Lee ordered him to run errands, including refilling Lee’s Hermes lotion, attending to Lee’s underwear and socks, and even picking up prescription drugs for Lee’s wife, Kim Hye-kyung, in January 2022.

This was just two months before the presidential election, where Lee ran as the DP’s candidate.

Cho claimed that his superior, Bae So-hyeon, who was also employed as a Gyeonggi government official after Lee was elected and worked as a personal secretary to Lee’s wife, referred to him as “Baemin,” a reference to the popular delivery app Baedal Minjok.

He also said the menopause drugs delivered to Lee’s wife were prescribed by the doctor under Bae’s name, violating the Medical Service Act.

Not only did the errands assigned to Cho have nothing to do with the local government, but by law, the spouses of the heads of local governments are not entitled to use public employees as aides.

A month before the presidential election in 2022 and two weeks after the news first surfaced, Kim apologized for using Gyeonggi government employees to run errands and using the government’s credit card for personal expenses.

However, Cho continued to expose the couple.

While Lee’s wife took most of the blame, Cho argued that the DP chief was personally involved.

Through interviews with local media earlier this year, Cho claimed that Lee had him travel from Gyeonggi to Apgujeong to buy a high-priced Japanese shampoo.

He also said he was forced to travel distances to purchase a rye bread sandwich and a cup filled with fruit every morning, a culinary quirk that cost 1 million won a month.

The whistle-blower's press briefing also came a day after incumbent Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon told legislators that a local government investigation found that the wife of his predecessor, Lee, may have swiped the provincial government’s credit card up to 100 times.

Governor Kim said the Gyeonggi government conducted its own audit between Feb. 25 and March 24 last year.

“We have already asked the police to investigate suspicions of embezzlement and breach of trust,” Kim said.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]