Yoon Seok-yeol's 'Gobal Saju' Lee Jae-myung's 'Hwacheon Daeyu' Ruling and Opposition Clash Over 'Chuseok Public Sentiment' [Han Seung-gon's Political Notebook]

Ruling and Opposition Parties Make All-Out Efforts to Win 'Chuseok Table Public Sentiment'
Democratic Party Calls Yoon's 'Prosecution Solicitation' Allegation "Nothing Short of a National Deception"
People Power Party Says Lee's 'Hwacheon Daeyu' Controversy "Will Be Recorded as Governor Lee's Biggest Scandal in Daejang-dong Development"

Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential primary candidate (left), Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential primary candidate (right) [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] The ruling and opposition parties have begun a full-scale campaign to capture the 'Chuseok dining table public sentiment.' The ruling party is focusing on the 'accusation referral' allegations surrounding Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, while the opposition is launching a full-scale offensive on the 'Hwacheon Daeyu Seongnam City development project' allegations involving Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung.

On the morning of the 17th, the Democratic Party held a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly, fiercely criticizing former Prosecutor General Yoon, saying he is unqualified as a presidential candidate. Floor leader Yoon Ho-jung said, "Yoon Seok-yeol's baseless deflection has reached a dead end," and pointed out, "Not only did he drag in Park Ji-won, the National Intelligence Service director, who is unrelated, but he also declared the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department and the media as conspirators in a political plot." He added, "Cornered and desperate, he seems to have shed the demeanor and dignity expected of a presidential candidate and is revealing his true colors."

Regarding the People Power Party's investigation into the 'accusation referral' allegations, he said, "It is absurd for accomplices in a criminal case to conduct the investigation, but if they only intend to make noise, it would be better to disband the bizarre organization, whether it is the Fair Election Promotion Team or the Polluted Election Assistance Team." He urged, "Stop deceiving the public and properly reveal the truth and take responsibility."

Supreme Council member Kang Byung-won raised his voice, saying, "Yoon Seok-yeol's conspiracy theory politics of 'don't ask, don't question' has gone far beyond the limit," adding, "As a presidential candidate, he should naturally apologize to the public and sincerely explain the national disgrace that occurred during his tenure as Prosecutor General, but instead, he is producing third-rate novels and misleading the public, making it nothing less than a grand national scam."

Yoon Seok-yeol, a preliminary candidate for the People Power Party's presidential primary, waves his hand to greet travelers boarding the train at Seoul Station platform on the morning of the 19th during the Chuseok holiday.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In this regard, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, emphasized at a press briefing held at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, that "The issue lies in the intent of the intermediaries who transmitted the accusation letters within the party and whether they conspired with others to achieve political goals using the party's name," adding, "So far, no problems have been found regarding the handling of the letters after they entered the party."

◆ People Power Party: "Who owns Hwacheon Daeyu?"

Meanwhile, the People Power Party launched a counterattack over the so-called 'Hwacheon Daeyu allegations' involving Governor Lee Jae-myung. The Hwacheon Daeyu allegations refer to the Seongnam City Daejang District development project carried out during Lee's tenure as mayor of Seongnam. Controversy erupted as a newly established private company, wholly owned by a specific individual, reportedly earned nearly 200 billion won in profits during the development.

On the 16th, the People Power Party held the first meeting of the 'Lee Jae-myung Gyeonggi Governor Scandal Investigation Task Force (TF)' at the National Assembly. The party raised the offensive level, asking, "Who owns Hwacheon Daeyu?" and announced plans to consider a state audit and special prosecutor investigation.

Floor leader Kim Ki-hyun said at the meeting, "The Daejang-dong development will be recorded not as Lee's greatest achievement but as his greatest disgrace," and argued, "An individual (Hwacheon Daeyu) holding a 1% stake of 50 million won received dividends of 57.7 billion won. Which citizen could accept this?"

He continued, "SK Securities, which holds a 6% stake, reportedly received dividends of 346 billion won, but the actual owners were a specific financial trust composed of Kim and six others recruited by him, who own Hwacheon Daeyu," and reiterated suspicions, saying, "These people are said to be friends and university alumni with special relationships. How can all this be a coincidence?"

People Power Party presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo also criticized on his Facebook post that day, saying, "Anyone can see that this is the Lee Jae-myung Gate," and added, "Such shamelessness is the driving force behind today's Lee Jae-myung." He further said, "It is exactly the same way of responding as in the free love scandal," and criticized, "The main subject of the corrupt development was Seongnam City, so how could a lawyer pretending to be a bachelor living in Seongnam not have known about it?"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential primary candidate and governor of Gyeonggi Province, is answering questions from reporters after visiting a single mother facility in Nam-gu, Gwangju on the morning of the 18th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

In response to the opposition's concentrated offensive on the 'Hwacheon Daeyu' allegations surrounding Governor Lee, Lee visited a single mother facility in Nam-gu, Gwangju, with his wife Kim Hye-kyung on the 18th and told reporters, "The Daejang-dong project is an extension of the Saenuri Gate, which profited significantly from corruption, and is now the People Power Party Gate."

He added, "According to broadcast reports, more than half of the actual shareholders were the group that lobbied through the brother of former Saenuri Party lawmaker Shin Young-soo in the past, and they are connected to People Power Party forces like Won Yoo-chul and Kwak Sang-do," pointing out, "The construction corruption forces and the People Power Party's political corruption forces formed a joint connection that has survived as it was and has been reborn in a new form."

He emphasized, "I firmly state that I have never received a single won, and I instructed related officials to act so as not to raise any suspicion since this matter would later be subject to a special investigation and political attacks, and that the screening process must be conducted thoroughly and fairly," adding, "A pool of screening committee members was created, and the day before the screening, the selected or applying businesses chose the members."

In response to Lee's remarks, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, wrote on his Facebook that day, "If that logic is applied, former President Park Geun-hye also never received a single won in her bank account." He added, "Whether a single won was deposited into Lee's account is not the important issue," and said, "The reason I accepted the impeachment as legitimate is because I hope stricter standards will be applied to Moon Jae-in's government and Democratic Party figures in the future."

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