Kim Ou-joon (Yonhap)
An alleged assassination plot was unable to proceed as planned as President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law imposition on Dec. 3 was short-lived, claimed a liberal figure at the National Assembly on Friday.
Radio show host Kim Ou-joon told lawmakers at the Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee that he had obtained information that troops dedicated to special operations were on standby for an assassination operation. Kim was earlier revealed to have been one of the figures that the military had attempted to arrest. Kim, however, added that the tip-off is not fully verified.
Kim also said that he had anonymously shared this information with Rep. Kim Byung-joo of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, adding that Rep. Kim, a retired Army general-turned-lawmaker, had corroborated Kim Ou-joon's information through multiple sources. Kim was a popular host of the News Factory radio show at Seoul city-owned Traffic Broadcasting System, which aired its last episode in December 2022, and now hosts a YouTube show.
He claimed that -- based on the information at hand that had yet to be fact-checked -- the troops had attempted to assassinate ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon. He also claimed that the plot included attacking and killing US troops and placing the blame on North Korea. The martial law command was also to blame North Korean forces for the assaults through evidence tampering, he claimed.
The self-proclaimed journalist declined to state how he learned of the plots, but said the information had come from a "country of friendly relations that has an embassy here." Kim did not take questions from the lawmakers of the committee before he left the scene.
Later on Friday, Rep. Kim Byung-joo's office said the lawmaker had requested an emergency investigation into matters that have yet to be corroborated.
The ruling People Power Party and the government, however, denied Kim Ou-joon's claim.
Acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho told lawmakers at a separate parliamentary committee meeting Friday that he was not informed of the alleged assassination scheme, adding that the truth would be revealed through investigation.
The ruling People Power Party highlighted Kim Ou-joon's past wrongdoings, saying he was notorious for sharing groundless rumors.
The radio personality has made multiple allegations in the past, including that of a secret meeting taking place between President Yoon and ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon in an upscale Cheongdam neighborhood in Seoul, and the alleged involvement of a seasoned People Power Party lawmaker in the tragic death of an elementary school teacher in Seoul. Neither turned out to be truthful, the party said.
"If his testimony turns out to be true, it would be a big problem, but given his past remarks, we are doubtful of the genuineness (of his testimony)," read the statement by the ruling party.
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