YTN’s evening news program ‘Evening with the News’ (hereafter New Here) released ‘Gift List of Sambu Construction Chairman Cho Nam-wook’ on the 25th, raising suspicions of collusion with Yoon Seok-yeol, the People’s Power presidential candidate.
The main content of the report is that the name of Candidate Yoon appears 17 times from 2002 to 2015 in the list of gifts announced by the union chairman of Sambu Construction.
In addition, YTN reported that the former name of candidate Yoon’s spouse Kim Kun-hee appears twice. In 2007 and 2008, five years before the marriage with Candidate Yoon, fruits were sent to ‘Professor Kim Myung-shin’. Kim’s mother also said that her name was added to the gift list twice.
The idea is that the ’17th holiday gift’ could be a clue to suspicion of collusion, given that candidate Yoon is suspected of excluding Sambu Construction from the subject of investigation during his time as a prosecutor.
However, there are many people who tilt their heads at the YTN report. The gifts that Sambu Construction provided to Candidate Yoon are not expensive products, but ritual agricultural and fishery products such as chestnuts, dried persimmons, melons, mangoes, and meat. It is pointed out that the report itself is an unreasonable number.
In a call on the 26th, a reporter from a broadcasting company said, “I thought it was unreasonable to what extent it was verified as it was reported as it was, but to what extent it was verified by the union chairman of Sambu Construction. It’s a bit bittersweet that journalism is making fun of itself even though it’s ridiculing it.”
Current affairs critic Yoo Chang-sun also said, “It is an independent report, and the packaging is grand, but the content seems to be poor. Even before the Kim Young-ran Act, if it was 17 times over ten years, it was about once a year. It is also a gift such as dried persimmon and seaweed, but I do not know if it is balanced to report it as if it is a great thing. It is necessary to reflect on whether New Agger is biased toward the Democratic Party,” he criticized.
On the YTN viewer’s bulletin board, there are voices pointing out the report. One writer said, “Does your living life improve if you take sides with one side in the presidential election? Exclusive? Persimmon Melon Meat Spam? The gossip that was already circulating. He criticized, saying, “I am alone because it is not dictated by other media.”
However, the production team is of the view that reasonable suspicion is possible. A YTN New Person official said on the phone, “It can be seen as a ceremonial gift, but a reasonable suspicion is possible given the number of 17 times and the fact that the people managed by Sambu Construction overlapped with the suspicions of the Yoon couple.” “Julie about Kim Gun-hee I am not interested in the allegations themselves, but there was a need for verification in that the main names that appeared in the related allegations could be confirmed in the list,” he emphasized.
In fact, YTN reported in the report, “As well as former prosecutor Yang Mo, who was suspected of having an inappropriate relationship with Mr. Kim, the name of Monk Mujeong, who is said to have linked candidate Yoon and Mr. Kim, appears several times. Julie’ is a key figure involved in the allegation. It can be seen that before the marriage between Mr. Kim and Candidate Yoon, the couple, as well as the couple who have been recently controversial, have all been managed.”
A New Haver official said, “Candidate Yoon played golf with Chairman Cho several times, but golf and gifts are not considered as separate issues.” “I believe that we should not cast a reasonable doubt on this matter or give up verification in the name of custom or because it is a courtesy gift,” he said.
Yangsoo Lee, senior spokesperson for the People’s Strength Ancestral Headquarters, said on the 26th, “Candidate Yoon never received any hospitality from Sambu Engineering & Construction Chairman. none. The ‘holiday gift list’, which was reported to the reporter by Sambu Construction’s union chairman, is a document whose author, when and how it was written, and whether it was implemented or not, is not clear.”
He continued, “It is groundless to raise suspicions of hospitality or incidents with a list of holiday gifts of unknown origin, which was prepared posthumously, and we express our deep regret.”