Lee Jae-myung's Side "Kim Ki-hyun's False Statement... Will File Complaint" vs. People Power Party "Come Out to the National Assembly Hearing"

Suspicion of Special Privileges in Seongnam Daejang-dong Development Spreads... Lee Jae-myung and People Power Party Conflict Intensifies
Lee Jae-myung's Side "Considering Suing Kim Ki-hyun and Some Media for Leading Fake News"
People Power Party "Must Come Forward and Explain 'Daejang-dong Gate' to the Public"

Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] As suspicions of preferential treatment in the Seongnam Daejang-dong development project continue to escalate, the confrontation between Lee Jae-myung, Gyeonggi Province Governor and presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, and the opposition party is intensifying.

After Lee’s camp announced plans to file complaints against Kim Ki-hyun, the floor leader of the People Power Party, and some media outlets, the People Power Party requested Lee to appear as a witness at the National Assembly audit and demanded that he testify in person.

On the afternoon of the 17th, Jeon Yong-gi, spokesperson for Lee’s presidential campaign, stated at a National Assembly briefing, "We are considering filing complaints against Kim Ki-hyun, floor leader of the People Power Party, who is leading the spread of fake news related to the Daejang-dong public development under the protection of parliamentary immunity, as well as against media outlets including Chosun Ilbo and other comprehensive programming channels that repeatedly mislead public opinion with false reports, all on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act."

Jeon added, "The opposition party’s abuse of parliamentary authority as 'power that can say anything without sanctions,' and the irresponsible dissemination of fake news by some media outlets, will be held accountable to the end and made to pay appropriate consequences."

Regarding Kim Ki-hyun’s claim that former Gyeonggi Tourism Organization president Yoo Dong-gyu was active in Lee’s campaign, Jeon said, "This is a clear falsehood. Yoo Dong-gyu is not affiliated with Lee Jae-myung’s campaign," and raised his voice, "However, some media outlets, including Chosun Ilbo and other comprehensive programming channels, are spreading fake news by uncritically echoing Kim’s remarks."

Jeon further stated, "Candidate Lee Jae-myung has already declared that he will accept any investigation regarding the Daejang-dong public development. Since there is not even a speck of dust, he will actively cooperate with all investigations," and warned, "The opposition party and some media outlets should not evade responsibility. We are considering filing complaints on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act against Kim Ki-hyun, who falsely claimed that Yoo Dong-gyu was a member of the campaign, some media outlets that echoed this claim, and false reports alleging that Lee’s son and Lee Han-joo, head of the policy headquarters, are involved."

Kim Ki-hyun, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the 'Lee Jae-myung Gyeonggi Province Governor Daejang-dong Gate Truth Investigation Task Force' meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 16th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Jeon Ju-hye, spokesperson for the People Power Party floor leader, responded with a statement, saying, "Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung should confidently appear at the audit and reveal the truth."

Jeon criticized, "Lee Jae-myung’s camp is threatening by saying they will file complaints against the floor leader of the main opposition party," and pointed out, "Regarding Yoo Dong-gyu, during the previous controversy over the appointment of Hwang Kyo-ik to the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, there were reports that he was active in the Lee Nak-yeon camp. If that was fake news, why was it not refuted at that time?"

Jeon continued, "The 'fake news' standard of Lee’s camp varies depending on the situation, which is a confession in itself," and criticized, "Lee’s side denies or claims it is a conspiracy by malicious forces whenever suspicions arise, but they do not answer the public’s questions. This is a typical tactic to obscure the essence."

He emphasized, "The reason Lee’s camp uses such shallow tactics is because there is a bigger hidden truth. The Daejang-dong gate is exactly that. The process of selecting the developer and the astronomical profit rate exceeding 1,100 times cannot be understood or explained by common sense. We strongly demand that instead of making irrelevant remarks, Lee should promptly respond by agreeing to appear at the audit."

Members of the 'Lee Jae-myung Daejang-dong Gate Truth Investigation Task Force' from the People Power Party, including Kim Eun-hye (from the right), Song Seok-jun, Park Soo-young, Lee Heon-seung, and Kim Hyung-dong, visited the Daejang-dong development site in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province on the 16th to inspect the site.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Lee is at the center of controversy regarding the Daejang-dong development project. While serving as mayor of Seongnam in the past, Lee promoted the Daejang-dong development project in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, developing approximately 910,000 square meters of land into 5,903 housing units. Initially, this project was planned as a private development, but after Lee took office as mayor of Seongnam in 2010, it was converted into a public project. To implement the project, Seongnam Urban Development Corporation and private developers invested equally and established a special purpose company (SPC) called 'Seongnam’s Garden' in July 2015.

The problem arose when it was revealed that Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management (Hwacheon Daeyu), a company holding 14.28% of the common shares of Seongnam’s Garden, received dividends amounting to hundreds of billions of won over three years. Hwacheon Daeyu invested 50 million won in capital but received 57.7 billion won in dividends. The opposition party has expanded the controversy by claiming this is 'insider corruption,' citing the excessive dividends relative to the paid-in capital and the fact that A, a former journalist who owns 100% of Hwacheon Daeyu, had previously interviewed Lee Jae-myung and had a connection with him.

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