The Democratic Party of Korea is considering plans to push for a national investigation into the allegations of election interference and manipulation of opinion polls known as the 'Myung Tae-kyun Gate.' It appears to be aiming to strengthen its offensive against the ruling party as the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol is nearing completion.
Yoon Jong-gun, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, met with reporters after a party meeting at the National Assembly on the morning of the 17th, stating that the necessity for a national investigation into the Myung Tae-kyun Gate has been raised.
Yoon noted, "The impeachment of Lee Chang-soo, the chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, has been dismissed," adding that concerns have been raised about whether this chief can be entrusted with the investigation into Myung Tae-kyun, likening it to letting a cat guard fish, and it has been suggested that a national investigation and a special prosecutor should proceed simultaneously. He also mentioned, "I think the leadership will make a decision."
The investigation into 'political broker' Myung Tae-kyun is currently being conducted by a dedicated investigation team at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. Myung is suspected of having provided opinion polls to numerous ruling party officials and of being involved in various interests. There are also allegations that President Yoon and First Lady Kim Keon-hee were implicated in this process.
Earlier, the Democratic Party submitted the 'Myung Tae-kyun Special Prosecutor Act' aimed at uncovering the truth behind the allegations related to Myung, and it was passed in a plenary session of the National Assembly. Choi Sang-mok, Acting President and Minister of Economy and Finance, exercised his right to request reconsideration (veto) on the 14th, stating, "The scope and targets of the investigation are unclear and vast, raising concerns about the violation of constitutional principles of clarity and proportionality."
As multiple ruling party figures were mentioned in the transcripts related to Myung, the Democratic Party is strengthening its lending offensive by leveraging the Myung Tae-kyun Gate. The Democratic Party's 'Myung Tae-kyun Gate Investigation Team' held a press conference that day, stating, "Names including Yoon Suk-yeol, Kim Keon-hee, and ultimately Hong Joon-pyo and Oh Se-hoon are appearing in connection with the Myung Tae-kyun Gate," and added, "The declaration of martial law by Yoon Suk-yeol also stemmed from the Myung Tae-kyun Gate."