Mikyrooke Lee Sang-ho and Jung Chung-rae, The Full Story of the Busan Nomination Scandal Allegations

The reporting team recognized the seriousness of the matter through tip-offs and conducted approximately two weeks of in-depth investigation. This report will be presented as a series and is expected to cause a significant stir in Busan's political circles.

With sharp disagreements between both sides, the disclosure of the original recording has become a major issue. This controversy signals a battle over truth in political circles.

The prosecution reportedly did not indict him, considering the amount a loan rather than a payment for a favor. This interpretation suggests that while the prosecution at the time acknowledged the fact that 100 million won was received, they deemed the evidence insufficient to consider it a bribe for a favor, thus failing to arrest or indict Representative Kim.

The reporter continued to defend the Yoon Seok-youl prosecution in their acceptance speech, raising questions about the fairness of the journalist award. Some in the media pointed out that the article lacked impartiality and served a specific political faction.

Such evaluations suggest that Lee Sang-ho's statements and actions are deeply intertwined with Representative Jung Chung-rae's strategies.

Nosamo, a disbanded organization, faced criticism that using its name for Representative Jung's support movement was inappropriate. This was interpreted as an attempt to exploit the symbolism of Nosamo, the support group for the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, for political purposes, leading to backlash among Nosamo-affiliated party members.

Lee Sang-ho reportedly joined Nosamo around the time of the primaries, not as a founding member in 2000. He explained that he came to Nosamo looking for people who liked singing, but testimonies emerged that he showed strong agitative tendencies from his early days of joining. Thanks to these characteristics, Lee Sang-ho formed an absolute following from the early days of Nosamo activities, and his influence quickly expanded.

A former Nosamo member testified that he acted as a de facto regent of the chapter, even snatching the city chapter chairman's microphone to speak himself. This has led to growing criticism that democratic decision-making is not properly occurring within the Busan City Chapter.

He also clarified that the 'Council of Seven' being referred to was composed of seven people who helped elect City Chapter Chairman Byun Sung-hwan, stating that he was not involved in nomination intervention.

He mentioned Byun Sung-hwan, Kim Sun-bae, Park Young-ah, Moon, Kim Du-young, and Park Jae-beom as the accurate list of seven. However, the presence of Kim Du-young, Park Jae-beom, and Byun Sung-hwan, who are identified as key figures of the Pro-Jung faction, is acknowledged by both sides. This disagreement reveals the complexity of power relations within the Busan City Chapter.

Cha Sang-ho explained that organizations fractured when Lee Sang-ho and others supported a specific party leader candidate, and in this process, they framed the opposing faction as the 'Council of Six' or 'Council of Seven' to attack them. He emphasized his neutrality, asserting that the current conflict did not originate from nomination issues.

According to revealed call recordings, Office Director Kim weighed individuals to place specific people on the Gongsimwi, making remarks such as removing Cha Sang-ho and adding Park Young-hwa, or adding Jung Sang-rae. This is interpreted as concrete evidence showing that the senior vice chairman, rather than the city chapter chairman, wielded more practical authority in forming the Gongsimwi.

They discussed 'operations' to place key figures on the Gongsimwi, and specifically planned to systematically block regional chairmen from joining the committee. Such attempts suggest that the influence of a specific faction was at play in the nomination process, which should be fair, and are criticized as acts that undermine internal party democracy.

Kim Du-young mentioned attempting nomination intervention by allowing regional chairmen to participate in the nomination committee but then having the Supreme Council reject it. He stated that he would preemptively block this through discussions with Supreme Council Member Moon Jung-bok, clearly showing that the Busan City Chapter's nomination issues are linked to specific individuals in the central party. This collusion with the central party raises concerns that it could severely undermine the fairness of nominations.

It was revealed that after the previous office director of the Democratic Party's Busan City Chapter was replaced, former office director Jung Kyung-won, who had a controversial past, was reappointed. During the office director change, there were alterations in the nomination method, such as areas previously designated for single recommendation changing to competitive primaries, raising suspicions that this could lead to nomination irregularities. The change in nomination methods coinciding with the return of former Office Director Jung Kyung-won amplifies suspicions that a specific faction attempted to manipulate nomination rights to their advantage.

He stated that the call content from around January was passed to the city chapter chairman and senior vice chairman, and they used this recording as leverage to threaten him to reverse nomination decisions. Office Director Kim mentioned that these threats were captured in another recording and added that he is currently taking action regarding the recording through police complaints and accusations.

He explained that he only reluctantly complied with Senior Vice Chairman Kim Du-young's demands for the sake of his professional life. He also emphasized his non-involvement, stating that the city chapter chairman also decided the proportional nomination committee members, and he did not even know their personal details or contact information.

Controversy arose over the true intention and background of seeking a 'keyman' in the process of selecting candidates for major positions within the city chapter. Producer Kim Eun-do questioned whether they were looking for a keyman who would accommodate Senior Vice Chairman Kim Du-young's wishes or to resolve other complaints. In response, the office director claimed it was a process of handling the unreasonable demands of the other party, leading to differing interpretations of the background behind the keyman selection.

It was also proven that Office Director Kim Byung-soo was in office when this list was approved. This can be interpreted as significant circumstantial evidence showing deliberate intervention by a specific individual in the formation of the nomination committee.

Kim Du-young had calculated to secure a proportional nomination by taking the position of Labor Chairman, eyeing the high probability of the Labor Chairman being nominated as a proportional representative. This reveals the complex intertwining of individual political ambitions surrounding nominations.

He also emphasized that some statements about campaigning through 'wind' without an organization were false, implying that there was meticulous organizational intervention.

He claimed he was unaware of the Council of Six's existence at the time and was residing overseas. Lee Sang-ho stated that he made the remark based on his personal judgment that he would not support candidate Kim Min-seok, and that there was no specific information or organizational basis. This is interpreted as an attempt to emphasize that Lee Sang-ho's remark was merely a prediction and to deny any direct connection to the nomination scandal allegations.