Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 14th that the party has confirmed "a considerable degree of group enrollment" and has "accumulated quite meaningful testimony" in connection with allegations that members of the Shincheonji religious group intervened in the party's Aug. 17 national convention.
Kim made the remarks while appearing on the party's official YouTube program "Minty 07," where he disclosed the findings of a first-stage review by a task force on party membership. Asked whether Shincheonji had engaged in organized intervention in the leadership race, Kim said, "There is testimony on that part," but declined to elaborate, adding, "It would be better to have an opportunity to explain after pulling things together more comprehensively."
He drew a line, however, at reports that the number of Shincheonji-affiliated party members reaches 30,000 to 50,000. "Because this did not come through an investigation, it was estimated using the one method available for verification," Kim said. "The figures reported are not accurate." On the findings of the task force, headed by Supreme Council member Park Sun-won, Kim said, "It wrapped up just before the parliamentary audit, and the Supreme Council received a first report," adding, "It has not yet gone through mutual debate or verification."
Kim was also cautious about how widely the findings would be released and what would follow. "We need to discuss whether to disclose it at the Supreme Council level or at a general meeting of lawmakers," he said. "Given the limits of what a political party can do, there is also a view that an investigation is needed for rigorous confirmation, so this has to be weighed politically." He added, "Because this is a sensitive matter, I will handle it very carefully and cautiously with the whole party in mind," while stressing, "I will sort out what can be sorted out so that the problem does not recur."
Separately, Kim called for restraint over Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae's repeated statements a day earlier, during a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, that Kim Ji-yong was unfit to serve as head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency. "I think it would have been more appropriate to maintain the tone of the initial responses," Kim said. "It is right for this to be dealt with fully by those handling the confirmation hearing, and those who have already expressed their views would do well to show restraint."