Kim Euigyeom: "Heard Han Donghoon's Release of Recordings Is Not Unrelated to Party Member Board Investigation"

"Indictment Planning Document, a Strictly Confidential Prosecution Record, Was Disclosed"
Suspension of Indictment for Kim Seungwon Was an Internal Prosecutorial Decision

On September 8, Kim Eui-gyeom, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, commented on Han Donghoon, an independent lawmaker who had raised consecutive suspicions regarding Justice Minister nominee Kim Seungwon. Kim Eui-gyeom analyzed that Han Donghoon appears to be overreaching in an attempt to build an 'image of a persecuted victim' as the investigation into the party member bulletin board nears its final stage. Kim Eui-gyeom cited the People Power Party as the source for his assumption.

During an interview on CBS radio's "News Show with Park Sung-tae" earlier that day, Kim Eui-gyeom expressed his views regarding the controversy over Kim Seungwon's confirmation hearing. He commented, "It seems that Assemblyman Han has access to a lot of materials regarding the allegations against Kim Seungwon," but added, "The indictment planning document is an extremely confidential internal prosecution document that is neither viewed by outsiders nor even submitted to the court; instead, it is carefully stored in the cabinet of the Western District Prosecutor’s Office, yet it was released this time." Kim Eui-gyeom stated, "Having worked as a journalist for nearly 30 years, I cannot recall any instance where an indictment planning document was ever made public. I have no choice but to consider this 100% an illegal document."

Kim Eui-gyeom, member of the Democratic Party of Korea
Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Kim Eui-gyeom, who speculated that the source of the material was a prosecutor, said, "Assemblyman Han is a member of the National Assembly, so he can avoid repercussions, but the junior prosecutor who provided the document could get hurt. It makes me wonder why he would take such a risk," and added, "Yesterday, I heard from a People Power Party official that this may be directly connected to the party member bulletin board incident."

Regarding the so-called People Power Party member bulletin board, which Han Donghoon's family members have been alleged to be involved in, Kim Eui-gyeom stated, "It appears that the investigation is now in its final stage," and said, "As the investigation net tightens, rather than becoming an internal traitor within the People Power Party, Assemblyman Han is making excessive moves, fiercely fighting against the government in order to create an image of himself as a persecuted victim. I get the impression that he is disclosing information with this attitude, regardless of whether it causes harm to his juniors."

On the allegations related to nominee Kim Seungwon, Kim Eui-gyeom explained, "Within the prosecution, the decision was made not for an eight-month prison sentence but for suspension of indictment." As he claimed to have "investigated" the case, Kim Eui-gyeom stated that the head of the anti-corruption division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office had raised doubts with the investigation team regarding the prison sentence, and that after reviewing precedents, the team decided on suspension of indictment.

He also addressed the relationship between Kim Seungwon and a person surnamed Yang, saying, "The prosecution seized Yang’s cellphone and conducted an investigation spanning four years of data," and continued, "According to the investigation’s findings, the prosecution concluded that Yang’s partner was a person surnamed Seo." Kim Eui-gyeom added, "If nominee Kim Seungwon had been involved with Yang in a romantic relationship, he would have spent the past few years under the prosecution’s control, unable to speak freely or perform his legislative duties properly. Yet Kim Seungwon remained one of the most active figures at the forefront of prosecution reform."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.