Is it true that Lee-Lee have agreed to a negative truce?

Restraining Defamation and Adjusting Tone
But Conflicts and Verbal Disputes Persist in Each Case
Reiterating Controversy Over Lee Jae-myung's Primary Election Rejection
Lee Nak-yeon Responds, "Never Thought About It"
Both Sides Predict Continued Clashes

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Gu Chae-eun] On the 12th, Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province and the first-place Democratic Party presidential candidate, and Lee Nak-yeon, former party leader and second-place candidate, who declared a ‘negative truce,’ exercised restraint in their mutual criticisms and moderated their tone. However, contrary to their pledge to ‘not cross the line,’ tensions between the two sides have not easily subsided, and the dispute is expected to continue.

On the morning of the 12th, Lee Nak-yeon said at a press conference, "There are cases where the line is narrowly crossed. I hope both sides will exercise maximum restraint." Instead of targeting Lee Nak-yeon, Lee Jae-myung turned his criticism toward former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, deliberately diverting attention away from his intra-party rival.

Although both candidates are trying to reduce sharp confrontations as much as possible, they are taking opposing stances on various issues, making it inevitable that verbal exchanges will occur in the process. On the same day, Lee Jae-myung’s camp addressed the growing controversy over ‘refusal to accept the primary results’ within the party once again. Woo Won-shik, chairman of Lee Jae-myung’s campaign committee, appeared on the radio and proposed, "The heads of each campaign committee should come forward and make a joint declaration to ‘accept and abide by the primary results.’" Lee Jae-myung’s camp judges that if the controversy over refusal to accept the primary results escalates alongside the ongoing negative exchanges, it could become a major obstacle to Lee’s path to the general election. Having declared a halt to negative campaigning, they are refraining from direct attacks but consider any mention of ‘refusal to accept the primary results’ to be risky.

On the same day, Lee Nak-yeon, who said he would ‘exercise restraint in negative campaigning,’ responded to the refusal-to-accept-primary-results issue by saying, "I have never once thought about (refusing to accept the primary results)." He also pointed out, "I think it is strange to interpret Assemblyman Seol’s concerns as refusal to accept the results." Assemblyman Seol had earlier sparked controversy by saying in the media, "If Lee Jae-myung becomes the final candidate, the ‘one team’ cannot be guaranteed," which raised questions about refusal to accept the primary results.

Shin Kyung-min, standing vice chairman of Lee Nak-yeon’s camp, also said at the press conference that "Yesterday, Lee Nak-yeon pointed out four issues regarding Lee Jae-myung’s undemocratic behavior (the eviction of tenants, the taxi strike by disabled drivers, backlash from local elderly residents, and verbal abuse)," adding, "We will ask about each one going forward," signaling future confrontations.

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