Kim Min-seok calls Han Dong-hoon 'half-brother of the same blood' as Yoon Suk Yeol

Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok launched a sharp attack Tuesday against independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, saying he had turned out to be "a half-brother of the same blood" as former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The remarks came in response to Han's recent comments about Kim's past political funds case, made as Han raised allegations against Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won.

Kim posted a message on his Facebook page titled "To Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon," saying Han had directed remarks at him in the National Assembly's Rotunda Hall on Friday, including the phrases "pocketed 900 million won" and "partied with hostesses at an NHK room salon."

Regarding his 2002 political funds case, Kim said he had been "the first victim of the first operation by prosecutors belonging to the Wugeomhoe — including Yoon Suk Yeol, Han Dong-hoon and Lee In-gyu." He said the case involved a clerical worker's failure to issue a receipt for campaign support funds from the party's central committee to the Seoul mayoral election, calling it "a classic targeted case, distinct from similar ones."

Kim said it was "a bitterly ironic twist of life" to hear the abusive falsehood of being told he had "pocketed" money from Han, whom he described as a participant in the targeted prosecutorial pressure directed against him.

Kim also rebuffed allegations surrounding a drinking gathering on the eve of the May 18 commemoration in 2000, citing past statements by former lawmakers Kim Sung-ho and Jang Sung-min to argue that he had neither been drinking nor been in the company of hostesses at the time.

Kim said he had "held out a small hope that Han might become a positive conservative alternative after Yoon Suk Yeol," but added: "That 'maybe' turned into 'as expected.' I thought he was different from Yoon Suk Yeol, but it turned out he was a half-brother of the same blood."

He said Han had "been reborn as a younger brother who, consumed by a passionate inferiority complex against the democratization generation and crying for its destruction, has run amok with a verbal martial law of pulling out teeth" — just as his "boss older brother ran amok with actual martial law while crying for the destruction of anti-state forces." Kim also took a swipe at Han's rhetorical style, saying the "snarky Dong-hoon" from his days answering questions as minister had been preferable, and that the current "foul-mouthed Dong-hoon" appeared to have a short shelf life.

Kim said he would pursue legal action against Han over what he described as the illegal leaking of prosecutors' internal documents. "You will come face to face with legal proceedings as a key figure or suspect in the case of the illegal leak of prosecutors' internal documents," Kim said, adding that the only question was "whether you personally raided the prosecutors' cabinet, ordered someone to do it, or received the improperly obtained documents as stolen goods."

Kim then said he had changed his mind about seeking Han's expulsion or suspension from the National Assembly — "since you will face legal judgment anyway" — and advised Han to "faithfully respond to the relevant legal summons rather than the National Assembly ethics committee."

Kim warned that if Han repeated similar remarks about him, he would respond with "defamation charges based on false facts." He said he would "set aside personal feelings and handle the Han Dong-hoon document-leak gate strictly and publicly, as the leader of a political party."