Lee Jun-seok "Lee Jae-myung's Explanation Like MB... There Might Be an 'X File' on Other Factions in the Democratic Party"

"MB and Former President Park Also Exposed Suspicions Against Each Other"

Lee Jun-seok, Leader of the People Power Party / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The conflict between the ruling and opposition parties over the 'Daejang-dong Development Special Favor Allegation' in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province is escalating. Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, strongly criticized Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, saying he is giving "MB (former President Lee Myung-bak)-style explanations."

On the 5th, Lee appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and pointed out, "Rather than providing a logical explanation, Governor Lee seems to be making a political excuse like 'No matter how much you beat me, my approval rating doesn't drop.'"

He continued, "Investigating power-related gate scandals or such allegations can take time," adding, "In MB's case, special prosecutors and investigations were persistently demanded for 13 years, but he was not sent to prison by overturning a concluded matter. The public should keep in mind who will thoroughly investigate the substance of allegations when they become president."

He also claimed that the so-called 'X-file,' which could prove the connection between Governor Lee and the Daejang-dong allegations, might be held by some factions within the Democratic Party. He said, "History repeats itself," explaining, "In the past, Park Geun-hye had all the materials on President Lee Myung-bak, and during President Lee's time, they had Park's materials. They held onto these for 10 years and exposed them, and now both have become problematic."

He added, "Looking at the exclusive articles released continuously by media outlets, there are contents that make us think, 'We can't even grasp the structure within the Democratic Party, so how do they know all this?'" He said, "We are also continuously securing meaningful materials, but in terms of speed, I think we might be slower than other factions within the Democratic Party preparing internally."

Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi Province and a presidential primary candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at a youth meeting held at the complex cultural cafe 'Nuguna' in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 4th. / Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, the opposition party held an emergency press briefing on the afternoon of the 4th, demanding Governor Lee's resignation from the presidential candidacy. Floor leader Kim Ki-hyun said, "Yesterday, Yoo Dong-gyu was finally arrested. The investigation into the Daejang-dong gate, which the public has long suspected, has reached right up to Lee Jae-myung," emphasizing, "Candidate Lee Jae-myung should no longer deceive the public and must voluntarily request a thorough special prosecutor investigation."

He continued, "He should sincerely apologize to the public for the Daejang-dong gate incident, resign from all public offices, and of course, step down from the presidential candidacy."

In response, Governor Lee said at a policy announcement event in Seoul that day, "It is correct that I, as the mayor at the time, am responsible for managing the executives and employees of Seongnam city’s affiliated institutions," but dismissed calls for resignation by saying, "If I resign over the personal misconduct of subordinates, then all heads of organizations in Korea should resign."

He added, "Just because Nobel invented gunpowder doesn't mean he designed Al-Qaeda's 9/11 terror attack," and asked, "If a KEPCO employee takes bribes and commits fraud, does the president have to resign?"

When asked by reporters if he was willing to apologize for the Daejang-dong allegations, he replied, "I sympathize with the regret, but this is not something to apologize for; it is something to be praised."

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