Choo Mi-ae: "Oh Se-hoon is not righteous just because he rose from a shantytown"

Lee Nak-yeon, Oh Se-hoon: "Cannot Contain Anger Over Yongsan Tragedy Remarks"
'Controversy Over Yongsan Tragedy Comments' Oh Se-hoon: "I Feel Responsible... Sorry"

Former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Lee Nak-yeon, the Standing Election Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, posted a criticism on social media regarding Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party's Seoul mayoral candidate's remarks on the 'Yongsan Tragedy.' Former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae also left a comment saying, "Growing up in the Samyang-dong shantytown and becoming a lawyer and mayor does not equate to righteousness."

On the 1st, Lee posted on his Facebook, "Candidate Oh described the Yongsan Tragedy as 'an incident caused by police force deployment to suppress excessive and careless violent acts.' Candidate Oh was the mayor of Seoul overseeing redevelopment permits at the time. I cannot believe he said that without feeling any responsibility or remorse," he pointed out.

He continued, "Not only did he lie about real estate suspicions, but he also inflicted further wounds on the pain of the era and citizens, which makes me furious," emphasizing, "Candidate Oh should be humble before people, not just before memories."

He said, "Embracing and caring for the socially vulnerable is the foremost virtue of a politician," and criticized, "Small-scale tenants demanded their right to survival, but Candidate Oh called it wrongful resistance. Such perception is utterly heartless."

Furthermore, Lee stated, "He (Candidate Oh) says that if elected mayor, he will push for rapid reconstruction and redevelopment within one year of his term. Is he planning to return to the barbaric era that caused the Yongsan Tragedy? Just thinking about it is horrifying," he sharply condemned.

Photo by Lee Nak-yeon, captured from the comment section of the Facebook page of the Democratic Party of Korea's Standing Election Committee Chairman.

In response to the post, former Minister Choo left a comment mentioning Candidate Oh's past living in a shantytown, pointing out that "one's personal success is not the justice of the world."

Earlier, on the 31st of last month, Candidate Oh sparked controversy at the Kwanhun Debate by describing the Yongsan Tragedy as "an incident caused by police force deployment to suppress excessive and careless violent acts." The Democratic Party condemned Candidate Oh for insulting the victims and bereaved families of the Yongsan Tragedy and called for his resignation.

As the controversy grew, Candidate Oh explained, "There was an aspect of the tragedy caused by excessive and hasty suppression, and I clearly felt responsible and apologized as the mayor of Seoul at the time. Some media reports omitted that part," he clarified.

He added, "I feel deeply sorry and heartbroken that those people suffered the tragedy," and stated, "Regardless of the circumstances, if more caution and prudence had been exercised during the deployment of public authority, I believe the accident would not have recurred."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.