Hong Jun-pyo, the former mayor of Daegu, will serve as a lawyer for an associate facing an arrest warrant related to allegations of funding for opinion polls connected to Myung Tae-kyun.
On October 26, Hong announced on his Facebook page, "I will appear in the Daegu court tomorrow as a lawyer to argue against the arrest warrant for these individuals."
He explained, "Five years ago, during the primary against Yoon Suk Yeol, the police belatedly sought arrest warrants for the accounting officer and the head of the election service company, claiming there were issues with the handling of campaign funds."
Hong criticized the investigation, stating, "It seems like an excessive investigation. The statute of limitations expires on November 19, yet I, who have retired from politics, am being targeted, leaving me no choice but to step forward myself."
He reiterated his lack of connection to Myung Tae-kyun, saying, "I have never met Myung Tae-kyun personally, nor have I ever commissioned any opinion polls. I told them to investigate me and punish me if I am guilty, but to leave my staff alone, yet they are even investigating campaign funds from five years ago."
He added, "It is truly malicious. It is quite bitter. Is it really necessary to go this far?"
According to investigative authorities, the Daegu Police Agency recently applied for an arrest warrant for Park, a junior of Choi, a friend of Hong's son, on charges of violating political fund laws. The prosecution has submitted this request to the court, and Park's warrant hearing is scheduled for the morning of October 27 at the Daegu District Court.
This case originated from a complaint filed in March of last year by Kim Han-me, the head of the Citizens' Action for Judicial Justice. At that time, Kim alleged that a third party paid over 40 million won for opinion polls related to Hong, conducted by the Future Korea Research Institute, which was effectively run by Myung Tae-kyun. Kim filed charges against Hong, Choi, and Park for bribery and other offenses.
Currently, both Choi and Park deny all related allegations. Hong maintains that he has had no involvement in the allegations concerning Myung Tae-kyun.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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