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Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon speaks at a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday. (Yonhap) |
The conflict between the minister of justice and the main opposition party took another turn on Thursday, with the minister openly demanding an apology over allegations raised against him.
"As a victim of false news, I demand a sincere apology and responsible actions from the Democratic Party of Korea," Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said through a statement earlier in the day.
Han was referring to claims made by the Democratic Party's Rep. Kim Eui-kyum that he and President Yoon Suk-yeol met with 30 lawyers from Kim & Chang at a luxury bar in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, on July 19 and 20 this year.
"The Democratic Party actively participated in ‘inscribing’ false information in the public’s mind as if it was true, by exploiting the public confidence given to the majority party," he added.
As evidence, Kim presented a modulated voice file of a female cellist who attended the alleged party. The voice file mentioned that Han and Yoon were in attendance.
Kim also presented a recorded phone call between Lee Se-chang, the former acting president of the nongovernmental organization Korea Freedom Federation, and a YouTube media reporter. In the phone call, Lee indirectly acknowledged the party taking place.
Lee later denied the allegation, claiming that he has no personal connection to Justice Minister Han nor President Yoon.
Han hit back against Kim, accusing Kim of abusing parliamentary immunity and being irresponsible with his words on Tuesday. "(Kim) continues to lie, as his actions are overlooked, and he accepts no responsibility for them."
The ruling People Power Party also severely criticized Kim. Chung Jin-suk, interim chief of the People Power Party, slammed Kim through his social media. "How long will you continue your false incitement hiding behind the parliamentary immunity?" Chung said.
Some members of the Democratic Party leadership countered by calling for a thorough investigation of the allegation.
"Kim & Chang is dealing with many significant cases like the Lone Star Fund case and is also technically acting on behalf of the Japanese side regarding the forced labor dispute. It is a serious problem for the president and justice minister to meet with officials involved in such cases,” said Rep. Kim Sung-hwan, chief of the Democratic Party policy committee as the dispute continued at the policy coordination meeting on Thursday.
“If the allegation is true, it amounts to another power abuse scandal," Kim added.
