The Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party are in a head-on collision over the release of a "prosecution recording" surrounding the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case. The confrontation has intensified as the People Power Party pushes back strongly against the Democratic Party's claim that "the political prosecution's fabricated indictment has been exposed," calling it "fake news with context stripped away and evidence manipulation."
Jeong Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said at a standing committee meeting in Seoul on the 30th, "The suspicion that the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case was a case fabricated from start to finish by the political prosecution is increasingly being confirmed as truth." He added, "I believe our criticism was correct — that they were fabricating indictments, making what exists disappear and what doesn't exist appear."
Democratic Party lawmakers Jeon Yong-gi and Kim Dong-a held an emergency press conference the previous day and released a recording of Prosecutor Park Sang-yong, who was in charge of investigating the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case involving President Lee Jae-myung. The recording reportedly captures a conversation between Prosecutor Park and former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young. In the recording, Prosecutor Park states, "There needs to be a confession in which Lee Jae-myung becomes the principal offender and this person [the former vice governor] becomes an accessory — then things like whistleblower status become possible, and we can work on things like getting bail or not seeking additional warrants."
Han Byeong-do, the Democratic Party's floor leader, also criticized that "a fabrication scenario requiring Lee Jae-myung to be the principal offender has been exposed." Han said, "The Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case is one in which the Yoon Suk-yeol political prosecution set the goal of 'destroying Lee Jae-myung' and coerced false statements." He added, "They are now spouting sophistry calling it 'legitimate investigative consultation,' but where in Korean criminal law does it say prosecutors can negotiate sentences with suspects?"
The People Power Party, in contrast, countered that the Democratic Party's release of the recording is "genuine information manipulation and obvious fake news." The party argued that the source of the recording is unclear and that there is an ulterior motive behind releasing only one side's remarks rather than both sides of the conversation. Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, said, "Where has that recording been all this time before appearing now?" He continued, "If you ask about it, they'll say 'we threw it in a rice paddy ridge and picked it back up from a field ridge.'" He added, "Using this 'field ridge recording' to demand a parliamentary investigation into fabricated indictments is itself shameless and arrogant political manipulation."
Song Eon-seok, the People Power Party's floor leader, also pointed out that "the released recording contains only Prosecutor Park's voice, and not a single word from Attorney Seo, the other party in the conversation." Song continued, "They deliberately cut the context before and after Prosecutor Park's remarks and are agitating that it is circumstantial evidence of the prosecution pressuring testimony." He stressed, "The very act of the Democratic Party splicing together only Prosecutor Park's voice and releasing it is evidence manipulation and truth manipulation for the purpose of agitation."
The Democratic Party plans to put a prison guard, a court stenographer, a prosecutor, and officials from the National Intelligence Service and the Financial Supervisory Service on the witness stand at the "Special Committee for the Investigation of Alleged Fabricated Indictments by the Yoon Suk-yeol Regime's Political Prosecution" on the 31st. These witnesses allegedly observed the so-called "salmon and liquor party" allegations. The allegations concern claims that in May 2023, during the investigation of the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case, Prosecutor Park summoned former Vice Governor Lee, former Ssangbangwool Group Chairman Kim Sung-tae, and others, provided salmon, soju, and other items, and enticed them to give statements implicating President Lee Jae-myung in the North Korea remittance.
Whether the full transcript will be released remains uncertain. At an emergency press conference held by Democratic Party lawmaker Kang Deuk-gu on the same day, Attorney Kim Hyun-chul, another lawyer for former Vice Governor Park, said, "We don't have the recording ourselves — Attorney Seo has it, so it's difficult to say whether the transcript will be released."