D-2 but still 'Naegok-dong'... Ruling Party "A chance to make up" Opposition "Time for judgment"

Lee Nak-yeon "Oh Se-hoon, Be Humble About the Memories of Those Involved"
Joo Ho-young "Reminds Me of the Kim Dae-up Case"
Final TV Debate Likely to Focus on Naegok-dong Allegations
Kim Tae-nyeon "Give Us a Chance to Solve Real Estate Measures"

[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok, Oh Ju-yeon, Park Joon-i] With only two days left until the April 7 by-election to elect the Mayor of Seoul, the ruling and opposition parties continued their heated exchanges over the Naegok-dong controversy. While the ruling party appealed for a chance to make up for the failure of real estate policies, the opposition emphasized the need to judge the current administration.

Park Young-sun, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Seoul mayor, is holding an intensive campaign rally in Seongbuk-gu near Gireum Station in Seoul on the 29th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

On the 5th, Lee Nak-yeon, co-chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea's joint campaign committee, targeted Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party's Seoul mayoral candidate, saying, "Another decisive testimony has emerged linking the opposition's Seoul mayoral candidate to the Naegok-dong land scandal," and urged, "I hope you humbly accept the memories of those involved that came out today." This criticism came after a restaurant employee's testimony, aired on the morning of the 5th and on the radio on the 2nd, claimed to have seen Oh on the day he participated in the Naegok-dong land survey in 2005, accusing Oh of lying. The son of the restaurant owner, Mr. A, who claimed to have seen Oh at the restaurant, was scheduled to hold a press conference in front of Seoul City Hall that morning but abruptly canceled it due to concerns about revealing his identity. Whether Oh was present at the Naegok-dong land survey is linked to whether he knew about the land before assuming office as mayor, which touches on a conflict of interest issue.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

It seemed possible that decisive evidence proving Oh's presence at the survey would emerge at the press conference, but it ultimately did not materialize. In response, Kim Jong-in, the People Power Party's emergency committee chairman, dismissed the issue at a meeting with reporters after the central campaign committee meeting, saying, "It was all planned already, so there's no need to pay much attention to it."

Joo Ho-young, the People Power Party floor leader, also counterattacked during the central campaign committee meeting, saying, "When I hear the term 'Naegok-dong Saengtaetang,' I think of the Kim Dae-up incident," and added, "Who in the world remembers the details of something that happened 16 years ago, like what clothes they wore or what shoes they had on? I hope Park Young-sun, the Democratic Party candidate, stops making such connections no matter how desperate she is."

Despite these exchanges, the Naegok-dong issue is expected to become a topic of controversy again at the TV debate hosted by the Korea Broadcasting Journalists Club scheduled for the afternoon. Both Oh and Park cleared their morning schedules to prepare for the final TV debate. Kang Sun-woo, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, issued a statement saying, "Today's TV debate is the last chance to tell the truth," pressuring Oh. He said, "The last TV debate, which Oh has been avoiding so much, will take place this afternoon," and added, "Ordinary citizens have shown great courage to reveal the truth. Oh should also muster courage and confess before the people." On the other hand, Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson for the People Power Party, said, "Maintaining this through negativity or nitpicking is a waste of airwaves and time," and asked, "With the future of 10 million citizens at stake, how long will you keep turning this into a comedy?"

The ruling and opposition parties also clashed over the current administration's real estate policies. Kim Tae-nyeon, acting leader of the Democratic Party, said at the campaign committee meeting, "We must not revive the original speculative forces because of anger over real estate," and earnestly appealed, "Although the Democratic Party is lacking, please give us another chance to resolve the housing price stabilization and the 2.4 supply plan." However, Chairman Kim of the emergency committee criticized, "While the ruling party has been making statements that seem to admit the failure of real estate policies, the newly appointed Blue House policy chief has been making absurd claims that the real estate speculation incidents in our country were not speculation, and is misleading the public by saying that the so-called housing price increase is a global phenomenon."

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