Geum Tae-seop: "Hwacheon Daeyu Case, Crisis for Lee Jae-myung... The People Watch How It Is Overcome"

"Wrongdoings Must Be Admitted..."

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Geum Tae-seop. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Former Democratic Party lawmaker Geum Tae-seop evaluated Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung, who is under suspicion of preferential treatment in the Daejang-dong development, as being in a "considerable crisis" on the 30th.

Former lawmaker Geum appeared on CBS Radio's 'Hanpan Seungbu' that day and said, "The Hwacheon Daeyu incident is a considerable crisis for Governor Lee. The public will evaluate how he overcomes this, how he addresses it, and how he brings up stories that truly connect with the lives of the people."

He continued, "When such incidents occur, it would be better to simply admit, 'I thought this was an achievement until now, but I was wrong,' or say, 'I will fix this somehow; this is a shortcoming,' and talk about it. But judging by what he is doing now, he keeps resisting, calling it a 'People Power Party gate,' and when news came out that Assemblyman Kwak Sang-do's son, an independent lawmaker, received 5 billion won as severance pay, he seems to think it's a favorable development and continues on," he pointed out.

He also criticized Governor Lee, saying, "He should admit when he is wrong and acknowledge shortcomings when he has not listened to others' opinions. But judging from the statements and leadership he has shown so far, he has not demonstrated any intention to correct these and embrace the opinions of the opposition or those who do not support him."

Regarding the asset management company Hwacheon Daeyu, former lawmaker Geum said, "The political world is noisy because of Hwacheon Daeyu. Instead of identifying the problems and saying that such incidents will not happen again, the Democratic Party is saying, 'Didn't Kwak Sang-do's son receive 5 billion won?' This is a very wrong action," and criticized, "Hearing that made me wonder if they are in their right mind. It is very wrong."

He added, "Similarly, the opposition, even after knowing about Assemblyman Kwak's son's severance pay controversy, has not taken clear action and only says, 'Lee Jae-myung is the mastermind behind this,' and they keep fighting each other. I don't see any hope in this," he directly attacked.

Meanwhile, Governor Lee repeatedly denied involvement in the preferential treatment allegations related to the Daejang-dong development during the 20th Democratic Party presidential candidate TV debate held on the 27th, stating, "For me, it was about guaranteeing the maximum benefit to Seongnam City."

The People Power Party has defined the Daejang-dong land development project promoted in 2015 when Lee was the mayor of Seongnam as 'Lee Jae-myung Gate,' alleging that Hwacheon Daeyu received preferential treatment related to the development and raising related suspicions.

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