Seoul: President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, are facing intense scrutiny over alleged connections with a pollster and self-proclaimed power broker. This controversy, if substantiated, could severely impact Yoon’s presidency, with some opponents hoping it might even lead to an abrupt end.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the controversy centers around a leaked phone conversation between Yoon, then president-elect, and pollster Myung Tae-kyun on May 9, 2022. Just a day before Yoon’s inauguration, Myung sought confirmation from Yoon regarding the status of former lawmaker Kim Young-sun in the People Power Party’s (PPP) candidate selection for upcoming by-elections. Myung lobbied the presidential couple to support Kim’s candidacy in the party’s internal selection process.
Yoon reportedly informed Myung that he encouraged the PPP’s selection committee to consider Kim as a candidate, highlighting her hard work during the primaries. Despite acknowledging some backlash within the party against her, Ki
m was chosen as the PPP’s candidate the following day and won the by-election in Changwon on June 1.
Myung allegedly formed ties with the presidential couple during opinion surveys his polling agency conducted during Yoon’s campaign in the PPP’s 2022 presidential election primaries. His agency reportedly carried out numerous polls without charging, resulting in financial deficits. Accusations have surfaced that Myung fabricated poll results favorably for Yoon, a claim he denies. It is alleged that Myung leveraged his connections with the presidential couple to help Kim secure the PPP’s nomination and received payment from Kim to offset his agency’s financial losses.
The scandal has contributed to a further decline in Yoon’s approval rating, which reached a record low of 19 percent, according to a Gallup poll conducted between October 29 and 31. The poll, which surveyed 1,005 adults, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
The allegations have provided the Democratic Party of Korea (DP
K) with potential grounds to impeach Yoon. The DPK organized a rally near Seoul Station, where DPK Chairman Lee Jae-myung urged the ruling party to support a special counsel to investigate the allegations. While Lee stopped short of calling for impeachment, DPK lawmakers argue that the situation is severe enough to justify such a move.
The legal implications of Yoon’s actions remain uncertain. Presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-seok contends that Yoon’s remarks as president-elect do not violate the Election Law, which bars government officials from interfering in elections. Citing a Supreme Court precedent, Chung argued that expressing support for a candidate is not unlawful for a president-elect.
The crux of the investigation is whether Kim’s selection as the PPP candidate was a quid pro quo for Myung’s free polling services for Yoon. Investigators are tasked with uncovering the truth behind these allegations.