Ahn’s associate claims Saenuri official pressed the popular
professor to give up presidential ambition
A ruling party official threatened to disclose bribery and an extramarital affair controversy surrounding professor Ahn Cheol-soo if he runs in the presidential election, Ahn’s aide said Thursday,
The bombshell allegation by Geum Tae-seop, a lawyer and advisor to Ahn, threw the ruling Saenuri Party into commotion prompting it to rush to its defense.
Despite the party’s immediate denial, the revelation is likely to deal a blow to the Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate Park Geun-hye and her campaign centered on reform and transparency.
In a news conference, Geum claimed that Jeong Joon-gil, a former prosecutor and member of Saenuri’s communications team, called him on Tuesday and threatened to leak Ahn’s alleged bribery and affairs with a woman if he joins the presidential race.
Ahn, though yet to officially decide whether to run in the December election, leads polls among potential candidates.
“Such an act by the Saenuri Party ahead of the presidential election is beyond imaginable. This is a clear challenge against the democracy and a threat against the people who long for a new change,” Geum said, accompanied by fellow associates of Ahn, including Democratic United Party lawmaker Song Ho-chang.
Thrown off the loop, the Saenuri Party immediately looked into the matter as Jeong flatly denied the allegation.
“I just told him that Ahn should be well prepared against many suspicions. I sought his understanding that as a public relations official of the Saenuri I will have to speak about them,” Jeong said at an emergency press conference soon afterward.
“It is extremely regretful that (Geum) would blow this up as if there is some sort of an organization behind me, or (say) that there was political surveillance,” Jeong said.
Park Geun-hye dismissed Geum's claim as groundless. “He is not in a position capable of making such a threat and put such a pressure. I can’t understand this at all,” she told reporters while attending the opening of Gwangju Biennale.
Jeong, who was named to the PR post just last week, offered to resign over the controversy and is considering taking legal action against Geum.
The Saenuri Party also held an emergency meeting of the communications team to discuss countermeasures.
“We would like to ask back whether Ahn, who has started to face questions of his quality by the media, is using the personal conversation with a friend politically,” Saenuri spokesman Lee Sang-il said.
Meanwhile, observers suggested the strapping announcement by Ahn’s side may signal that he has reached a decision to join the presidential race.
Ahn has been a close second to Park in various popularity polls for the past several months despite his hesitancy to formally enter politics.
They ranged from questionable investment and home purchases in the past to his drinking habits.
According to Geum, Jeong threatened to expose an allegation that Ahn bribed a Korea Development Bank manager in 1999 for investment, and that he was “having an adulterous relationship” with a woman in her thirties with a musical background.
“After checking with Ahn, all of these allegations have been confirmed to be completely untrue,” Geum said.
Geum also raised suspicion that the latest series of questions and rumors about the software mogul-turned professor may have been carefully orchestrated by the authorities.
“Based on recent circumstances, it is seriously suspected that the authorities are conducting an organized background check (on Ahn) and that the information is being passed over to the Saenuri Party,” Geum said.
The main opposition Democratic United Party was quick to use the claim to attack the Saenuri Party, indicating that it could seek to launch a parliamentary probe into the case and run an in-house fact-finding committee.
The DUP’s presidential contenders pressured the ruling party’s presidential candidate Rep. Park Geun-hye to “unearth the truth behind it,” underscoring that she may have to take responsibility should the claim prove to be true.
“If it is true, it is like we are seeing the revival of the dictatorship and the reign of terror,” said Yun Kwan-seok, spokesperson for the DUP’s leading contender Rep. Moon Jae-in, referring to the period from the 1960s to 1980s when general-turned-presidents ruled the country.
“Rep. Park should ascertain the truth and if that turns out to be true, she may have to take responsibility for that.”
Kim Yoo-jung, spokesperson for Sohn Hak-kyu, called for the ruling party’s immediate apology.
“If it is true, it is what makes us all appalled. In addition to the Saenuri Party going backwards in time, it seems to use the shameful (political) method of threatening somebody,” she said.
Jeon Hyeon-hee, spokesperson for Kim Doo-kwan, said that the alleged threat to Ahn reflects the Saenuri Party’s fear about the possible defeat in the upcoming presidential election.
By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)
A ruling party official threatened to disclose bribery and an extramarital affair controversy surrounding professor Ahn Cheol-soo if he runs in the presidential election, Ahn’s aide said Thursday,
The bombshell allegation by Geum Tae-seop, a lawyer and advisor to Ahn, threw the ruling Saenuri Party into commotion prompting it to rush to its defense.
Despite the party’s immediate denial, the revelation is likely to deal a blow to the Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate Park Geun-hye and her campaign centered on reform and transparency.
In a news conference, Geum claimed that Jeong Joon-gil, a former prosecutor and member of Saenuri’s communications team, called him on Tuesday and threatened to leak Ahn’s alleged bribery and affairs with a woman if he joins the presidential race.
 |
| (left) (Yonhap
News) (right)(Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald) |
Ahn, though yet to officially decide whether to run in the December election, leads polls among potential candidates.
“Such an act by the Saenuri Party ahead of the presidential election is beyond imaginable. This is a clear challenge against the democracy and a threat against the people who long for a new change,” Geum said, accompanied by fellow associates of Ahn, including Democratic United Party lawmaker Song Ho-chang.
Thrown off the loop, the Saenuri Party immediately looked into the matter as Jeong flatly denied the allegation.
“I just told him that Ahn should be well prepared against many suspicions. I sought his understanding that as a public relations official of the Saenuri I will have to speak about them,” Jeong said at an emergency press conference soon afterward.
“It is extremely regretful that (Geum) would blow this up as if there is some sort of an organization behind me, or (say) that there was political surveillance,” Jeong said.
Park Geun-hye dismissed Geum's claim as groundless. “He is not in a position capable of making such a threat and put such a pressure. I can’t understand this at all,” she told reporters while attending the opening of Gwangju Biennale.
Jeong, who was named to the PR post just last week, offered to resign over the controversy and is considering taking legal action against Geum.
The Saenuri Party also held an emergency meeting of the communications team to discuss countermeasures.
“We would like to ask back whether Ahn, who has started to face questions of his quality by the media, is using the personal conversation with a friend politically,” Saenuri spokesman Lee Sang-il said.
Meanwhile, observers suggested the strapping announcement by Ahn’s side may signal that he has reached a decision to join the presidential race.
Ahn has been a close second to Park in various popularity polls for the past several months despite his hesitancy to formally enter politics.
They ranged from questionable investment and home purchases in the past to his drinking habits.
According to Geum, Jeong threatened to expose an allegation that Ahn bribed a Korea Development Bank manager in 1999 for investment, and that he was “having an adulterous relationship” with a woman in her thirties with a musical background.
“After checking with Ahn, all of these allegations have been confirmed to be completely untrue,” Geum said.
Geum also raised suspicion that the latest series of questions and rumors about the software mogul-turned professor may have been carefully orchestrated by the authorities.
“Based on recent circumstances, it is seriously suspected that the authorities are conducting an organized background check (on Ahn) and that the information is being passed over to the Saenuri Party,” Geum said.
The main opposition Democratic United Party was quick to use the claim to attack the Saenuri Party, indicating that it could seek to launch a parliamentary probe into the case and run an in-house fact-finding committee.
The DUP’s presidential contenders pressured the ruling party’s presidential candidate Rep. Park Geun-hye to “unearth the truth behind it,” underscoring that she may have to take responsibility should the claim prove to be true.
“If it is true, it is like we are seeing the revival of the dictatorship and the reign of terror,” said Yun Kwan-seok, spokesperson for the DUP’s leading contender Rep. Moon Jae-in, referring to the period from the 1960s to 1980s when general-turned-presidents ruled the country.
“Rep. Park should ascertain the truth and if that turns out to be true, she may have to take responsibility for that.”
Kim Yoo-jung, spokesperson for Sohn Hak-kyu, called for the ruling party’s immediate apology.
“If it is true, it is what makes us all appalled. In addition to the Saenuri Party going backwards in time, it seems to use the shameful (political) method of threatening somebody,” she said.
Jeon Hyeon-hee, spokesperson for Kim Doo-kwan, said that the alleged threat to Ahn reflects the Saenuri Party’s fear about the possible defeat in the upcoming presidential election.
By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)
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