Investigate the new suspicion about the couple

We hope the president and his wife tell the truth and apologize if they really committed any wrongs — before it’s too late.

The controversy over Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed “political consultant,” is deepening after he reportedly asked the presidential office to nominate former lawmaker Kim Young-sun ahead of a by-election in Changwon and Uichang, South Gyeongsang, in 2022. In an interview on Monday, he said, “Could the prosecution really handle me as President Yoon Suk Yeol will be impeached in a month?” We are dumbfounded at his provocative remarks. We seriously wonder what conversation the president and the power broker really had two years ago.

Kang Hye-gyeong, a former accountant for the former lawmaker, appeared on a YouTube channel and claimed that the former lawmaker was able to grab the nomination in the by-election in June 2022 after the broker gave the president 360 million won ($266,924) for a poll before the last presidential election in March 2022. If Kang’s remark is true, that’s a serious matter as Yoon’s acceptance of the money can violate the Political Fund Act which strictly bans candidates for public office from accepting suspicious funds. At the moment, the Changwon District Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the case, but prosecutors must also get to the bottom of the suspected trading of the candidacy for money. If necessary, the prosecution must include the presidential couple in its investigation.

In another interview, Myung, the power broker, claimed that he had often visited Yoon’s apartment when he was the PPP’s presidential candidate and that he repeatedly gave advice to Yoon, including his recommendation of Choi Jae-hyung, former head of the Board of Audit and Inspection, as the first prime minister after Yoon won the presidential election. In response, the presidential office said that Yoon had severed his relations with the power broker after the presidential election, but it’s difficult to accept the explanation given the continued exchanges of Telegram messages between the broker and the first lady. If the prosecution stops short of investigating the case thoroughly, the president will have to face vehement offensives from the majority Democratic Party (DP).

We cannot but point to the strong need for the presidential couple to cleanly manage their acquaintances. The power broker had been convicted of committing fraud and violating the Attorney-at-Law Act in the past. Suspicions about the presidential couple are nearly endless. Appearing on a YouTube channel last month, Kim Dae-nam, a former aide to President Yoon, went so far as to attack the first lady for “wielding massive influence” through her confidantes at the presidential office. How could such a person be recruited to work for the president? We hope the president and his wife tell the truth and apologize if they really committed any wrongs — before it’s too late.