Kim Seong-tae, former chairman of Ssangbangwool, on April 28 denied allegations that he held a so-called “salmon and drinking party,” saying he did not drink and urging people to stop focusing on what he ate. He also rejected suspicions of stock manipulation involving the company.
Appearing as a witness at a National Assembly hearing for a special committee investigating alleged fabricated indictments, Kim said, “I have never had a drink. I didn’t drink, so I’m saying I didn’t.” He added, “I’m close to 60. Please stop talking about what I eat.”
The allegation surfaced after attorney Seo Min-seok, who previously represented former Gyeonggi Province peace vice governor Lee Hwa-young, released a transcript on March 29. The transcript raised claims that on May 17, 2023, Kim held the gathering in the office of prosecutor Park Sang-yong, who investigated the Ssangbangwool case involving alleged remittances to North Korea.
On the stock manipulation allegations, Kim raised his voice, saying, “There has to be a benefit for me to manipulate stock prices. What stock manipulation are you even saying I did?”
He also pushed back against claims that prosecutors conducted a lenient investigation to link President Lee Jae-myung to the North Korea remittance case, saying, “What did those vicious prosecutors supposedly go easy on?”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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