'Oh Se-hoon Appeal Trial': Kim Chong-in Takes the Stand, Calling Myeong Tae-gyun 'a Liar' and Saying He Never Trusted Him

[Financial News] Kim Chong-in, a former emergency committee chair of the People Power Party who appeared as a witness in Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's appeal trial over allegations that opinion-polling costs were paid on his behalf, questioned the credibility of key witness Myeong Tae-gyun's testimony. He denied Myeong's claims about 'regular meetings' and serving as a 'desk aide,' saying that their several contacts had no particular significance. However, he also denied Oh's side's claim that he had commissioned Myeong, distancing himself from him.
Seoul High Court Criminal Division 7, presided over by Judge Lee Jae-shin, held the fourth hearing of the appeal trial on the 11th for Oh Se-hoon, his sponsor Kim Han-jung, and former Seoul deputy mayor for political affairs Kang Cheol-won, who were indicted on charges of violating the Political Funds Act. The court questioned Kim Chong-in and Kim Gyun-taek, a former scheduling team leader for the Oh Se-hoon campaign, as witnesses.
Kim Chong-in said at the hearing, "Myeong Tae-gyun is someone who makes things up to show off," adding, "I believe he deliberately used me to gain access to presidential candidate Yoon Suk Yeol."
He also denied Myeong's testimony, which is regarded as key evidence. Kim said, "I first met him only when former lawmaker Kim Young-sun brought him to me in November 2020, and there was no reason to meet him regularly," criticizing him as "someone who conducted opinion polls in the provinces and fabricated lies to show off in central politics." Regarding how he introduced Myeong to Ji Sang-wook, the former head of the Yeouido Institute, Kim said, "I merely told him to meet Myeong once because Myeong said he knew the local situation ahead of the Busan election."
Myeong has claimed to prosecutors and in court that "I met Kim Chong-in regularly every Monday and Thursday, and I planned the Seoul mayoral race while serving as Kim Chong-in's desk aide."
When the court asked about the credibility of these claims, Kim Chong-in dismissed them, saying, "I never trusted him." He said their communications were also insignificant: "I don't know whether I sent him a text message once or twice, but it meant nothing." He added, "Myeong's claim that he met me every Monday and Thursday is also untrue. There was no reason for me to meet him at all."
Kim Chong-in also categorically denied the 'Kim Chong-in commission' theory raised by Oh's side. He said, "I never commissioned an opinion poll from Myeong Tae-gyun," dismissing the claim. He emphasized, "I never entrusted Myeong Tae-gyun with a survey, and I did not even know how much it cost." This contradicted Oh's side, which had identified Kim Chong-in, rather than Oh, as the person who commissioned the opinion poll.
He also said that, as emergency committee chair, he had little interest in the Seoul mayoral primary at the time. "The committee had already been formed in January, and the party was supposed to select an opinion-polling agency and finalize the candidate," he said. "I had no interest whatsoever in who became the candidate. My only thought was to lead the election for that candidate if he or she won the nomination."
The questioning of Kim Gyun-taek, a former team leader who subsequently took the stand, led to a dispute over an internal campaign message. The first-trial court recognized a KakaoTalk message that Kim sent to an acquaintance in February 2021 as key circumstantial evidence supporting organized involvement by the Oh Se-hoon campaign. The message read: 'The Money Today poll was actually commissioned by us and arranged, but the agency made a mess of it. Director Kang Cheol-won was furious and made a scene. The person who introduced them was Kim Chong-in.'
Kim Gyun-taek changed his account, saying, "As someone handling scheduling, I knew nothing at all about opinion-polling work. It was merely gossip I sent after piecing together rumors from inside and outside the campaign to pretend I knew something and show off." The court responded, "You personally wrote, 'We commissioned it,' and now saying you do not remember is inconsistent."
With both Oh's side's theory that a third party commissioned the poll and the prosecution's account based on Myeong's testimony being challenged, the legal calculations in the trial have become even more complicated. The court indicated that it expects to issue a ruling around October 23.
[email protected] Chang-hoon Lee Reporter