Shadowy 'political broker' boasted of close ties to presidential couple, allege prosecutors

Prosecutors said self-proclaimed political broker Myung Tae-kyun received substantial sums of money in exchange for securing party nominations by "boasting about his close relationships with the conservative party leader and the presidential couple."

Self-proclaimed political broker Myung Tae-kyun leaves the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office in South Gyeongsang after questioning on Friday. [NEWS1]

Prosecutors said self-proclaimed political broker Myung Tae-kyun received substantial sums of money in exchange for securing party nominations by "boasting about his close relationships with the conservative party leader and the presidential couple," according to an arrest warrant request.

In the eight-page arrest warrant obtained by the JoongAng Ilbo, the Korea JoongAng Daily’s affiliate, on Tuesday, Myung was described as “engaging in political activities as if he were a sitting lawmaker” and “interfering in the nomination process despite being an ordinary citizen.”

Prosecutors requested an arrest warrant for Myung on Monday, charging him with violating political funding laws. Under the Political Funds Act, it is illegal for anyone to give or receive political funds in connection with “recommending a specific person as a candidate in elections for public office.”

During the investigation, prosecutors found that Myung allegedly received around 76.2 million won ($54,000) from former People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Kim Young-sun in exchange for her nomination in the 2022 by-election. This amount is lower than the 90 million won claimed by Kim’s accounting manager, who alleged it was paid to secure the nomination.

The prosecutors also requested arrest warrants for three other individuals on Monday, including former Rep. Kim and two other politicians who ran in the 2022 local elections in Daegu and Goryeong County, North Gyeongsang.

Prosecutors additionally presented evidence of KakaoTalk messages sent by Myung to President Yoon Suk Yeol on May 9, 2022, when Yoon was the president-elect, asking for Kim’s nomination. Regarding the message, Myung told prosecutors he had contacted Yoon because then-PPP leader Lee Jun-seok had informed him that Kim should run in the election.

During this time, Yoon called Myung, saying that he had advised the nomination committee to select Kim, but noted that there was "a lot of talk within the party." The conversation was released by the liberal Democratic Party on Oct. 31, which claimed it was evidence of Yoon’s illegal interference in the party’s nominations for the 2022 local elections.

In the released phone recording, Myung thanked the president, saying he would never forget his assistance.

In the arrest warrant request for the two other politicians, prosecutors claimed that each had paid approximately 120 million won to Myung in return for securing their nominations.

The warrant states that Myung assured them he could help them get nominated if they "cooperated" while boasting about his close connections with the presidential couple and the former PPP leader.

Additionally, the prosecution cited flight risk and evidence tampering concerns as reasons for the arrest warrant requests.

The arrest warrant hearings for the four individuals are scheduled for Thursday.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO, AN DAE-HUN [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]