<Anchor>



We conducted an exclusive interview with the former president of the Bangkok Korean Association, who is considered one of the supporters of former chairman Kim Seong-tae.

Let's connect Correspondent Kim Ji-wook, who is out in Bangkok, Thailand.



Correspondent Kim, did you hear a lot about the former president of the Bangkok Korean Association?



<Reporter>



Yes, Mr. A, who served as the president of the Korean Association here in Bangkok, is known to have helped ex-Chairman Kim escape and is a person closely watched by the prosecution.



I met and talked for about an hour at a cafe in Bangkok in the afternoon.



Mr. A said that he first saw former chairman Kim in Thailand 20 years ago.



[Mr. A/Former President of Bangkok Korean Association: I had a relationship with Kim Seong-tae (former) chairman from before.

We lost contact with each other, and two years ago, a phone call came in and asked us to exercise, so we did one.]



Former Chairman Kim went mainly with a local businessman who found a lodging and car without a separate bodyguard, and he conceived of a casino business while escaping. He said he did too.



[Mr. A/Former president of the Korean Association of Bangkok: While going to the Philippines or Vietnam like this, a casino like this came out (about business), and he said, 'I wish I'd tried something like this.']



Until the Interpol red notice was issued, there were many employees in Korea. He came and enjoyed karaoke, but he said that he was anxious when the former chairman Kim's vault keeper, who was in Thailand with him, was arrested by the police.



[Mr. A/Former president of the Bangkok Korean Association: (The safekeeper) is over there in Pattaya.

If that friend (the vault keeper) is also caught, I wonder if he (Kim Seong-tae) will know...

.]



Mr. A actively denied the allegation that he had helped ex-Chairman Kim escape, and pointed out that Mr. B was the actual helper.



He also added that former Chairman Kim had always denied allegations of collusion with Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung.



<Anchor>



Did you check the flight where former chairman Kim Seong-tae was repatriated?



<Reporter>



Yes, former Chairman Kim's flight, which was expected to return early next week, has been confirmed.



It is an Asiana flight departing from Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand at 0:50 am on the 17th local time, and arrives at Incheon Airport at around 8:50 am.



Prosecutors plan to secure former Chairman Kim's recruits on the plane and transfer them to the Suwon District Prosecutor's Office as soon as they land in Korea for investigation.



(Video coverage: Kim Nam-seong, Video editing: Lee So-young)