Lee Jae-myung vs Lee Nak-yeon vs Chung Sye-kyun... Accusing Each Other of "False Agitation" and "Extreme Negativity"

Former Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun and Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung

[Asia Economy Reporter Geum Bo-ryeong] The ruling party's presidential candidates, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, former party leader Lee Nak-yeon, and former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, continue to exchange sharp remarks toward each other.

Governor Lee stated on Facebook the previous day regarding the so-called 'Baekje remarks' controversy, requesting former leader Lee to "restrain camp officials who are damaging the One Team with fake news and promoting regionalism."

Lee said, "What is regrettable is the extreme negativity from the candidate Lee's camp officials. They are fabricating things I never said, attacking me by claiming 'Lee Jae-myung made regionalist remarks in an interview,'" adding, "While saying not to promote regionalism, they are ironically fostering destructive regionalism. It's like shouting loudly to 'be quiet.'"

Earlier, on the 22nd, in a media interview, Lee mentioned that he met with former leader Lee, who was a party leadership candidate last July 30, and said, "In the 5,000-year history of the Korean Peninsula, the Baekje side has never been the main force to unify the entire peninsula. If (former leader Lee) goes out and wins, that would be history," as he conveyed.

In response, former leader Lee said on a broadcast that day, when asked if the competition with Lee's side was excessive, "I try to restrain myself, but people around me are being attacked by (Lee's side), so I cannot help but respond," adding, "However, we need to restrain ourselves."

Regarding former Prime Minister Chung, who criticized Governor Lee for deciding to provide disaster relief funds to 88% of the people, he pointed out, "A country cannot be led by false agitation."

Former Prime Minister Chung also posted on Facebook that day, "Governor Lee often talks about Eokgangbuyak (restraining the desires of the strong and embracing the lives of the weak), but saying that taxes, which should be generously given to the weak, should be taken and paid even to the rich who are neither harmed nor struggling contradicts his usual theory and is a paradox."

Meanwhile, Governor Lee requested the Democratic Party to sanction 'excessive negativity.' At a press conference held at the Democratic Party's Gwangju Provincial Party Office that morning, Lee said, "The Democratic Party primary itself is beautiful and involves infinite verification, but methods like black propaganda should not be mobilized," adding, "The reality is regrettably not so." He further said, "I hope the party will sanction excessive negativity based on distortion and not on facts."

Former Lee Nak-yeon, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (Photo by Yonhap News)

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