Yoon Seok-yeol "Absurd and Groundless Remarks" vs Lee Jae-myung "Expected New Politics but Faced Color Attacks"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung Clashes Over 'U.S. Occupation Forces' Remark
Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl Calls It "Unacceptable Historical Distortion"
Governor Lee Responds, "Old-Style Political Attack from the Start"

Yoon Seok-yeol, former Prosecutor General / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Leading presidential candidates from both ruling and opposition parties engaged in their first debate on the topic of 'historical awareness.' Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol criticized Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung's so-called 'U.S. occupation forces' remark as an "unacceptable distortion of history," to which Lee immediately responded by calling it a "reactionary color attack."

Earlier, on the 1st, Lee visited the 'Yi Yuksa Literature Museum' in his hometown of Andong, Gyeongbuk, where he stated, "Unlike other countries during their government establishment stages, South Korea failed to purge pro-Japanese collaborators, and the pro-Japanese forces collaborated with the U.S. occupation forces to maintain the same ruling system."

In response, former Prosecutor General Yoon wrote on his Facebook on the 4th, "'The U.S. military is an occupying force, and the Soviet military is a liberating force'?this absurd and groundless remark was echoed by Lee Jae-myung, the ruling party's leading next presidential candidate," and criticized, "The public, including myself, is deeply shocked."

Yoon added, "The claim that South Korea was born as a joint product of pro-Japanese forces and U.S. occupation forces makes all citizens doubt their ears," and asked, "What are you aiming for now, and whom do you represent, as you control the government, distort history, and eye the next administration?"

He continued, "Those who deny South Korea's legitimacy and highlight only fragments of history while ignoring context do not merely feed off the achievements of the people," and argued, "Housing policies that deny the market and the so-called 'income-led growth' policies all stem from flawed ideologies."

He concluded, "The words and actions of Lee and others are eroding our own future," emphasizing, "I will uphold the values of liberal democracy based on a clear understanding of history and diplomacy and will cooperate with the international community."

Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province / Photo by Yonhap News

In response to former Prosecutor General Yoon's post, Lee immediately fired back. In a Facebook post that day, Lee criticized, "I expected new politics, but to face reactionary color attacks from the start is truly disappointing."

He added, "Equating the U.S. military immediately after liberation with the U.S. military after the Korean War is a clear error," and pointed out, "It is false that I called the Soviet military liberators."

He further stated, "It is truly regrettable that my first political statement has been distorted and manipulated into a reactionary color attack against my historically factual remarks."

Lee asserted, "After the establishment of the government, many elements such as injustice and pro-Japanese treason were purged, albeit belatedly," but also claimed, "Some of these still remain like poisonous mushrooms throughout our society, hindering social integration and damaging the image of an independent sovereign state."

He then criticized, "The People Power Party, which former Prosecutor General Yoon is expected to join, is not much different."

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