Both Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Seok-yeol Enter the Presidential Election Carrying 'Bombs'... "It's Touch and Go"

Suspicion of Daejang-dong Development, Bombshells Including Allegations of Report Solicitation
Opposition Pushes for Special Prosecutor on Daejang-dong, Targeting Lee Jae-myung
Yoon Seok-yeol Plagued by Various Controversies... Lack of Political Experience a Liability
Supporters Rally for Now, but Approval Ratings Could Fluctuate if Evidence Emerges

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] With just over five months left until next year's presidential election, the presidential campaigns of the leading candidates, each holding the top spot in approval ratings from the ruling and opposition parties, are precarious. Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province from the ruling party, is embroiled in the Daejang-dong development scandal, while Yoon Seok-youl, former Prosecutor General from the opposition party, is struggling with allegations of instigating accusations and a series of controversies. As the overall environment worsens, the phenomenon of the support base rallying tends to follow, so approval ratings do not immediately drop significantly. However, if a direct link connecting Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Seok-youl to the series of allegations is revealed, it could become the biggest adverse factor on the presidential election trail.

According to political circles on the 5th, both Lee, considered one of the two major contenders in various polls, and Yoon, are in precarious situations. Lee, who secured a majority in the Democratic Party primary and is said to have crossed the nine-tenths mark toward direct entry into the general election, faced political difficulties as former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Planning Director Yoo Dong-gyu was arrested the day before. Within the Democratic Party, concerns about Lee’s possible withdrawal from the race are also being sensed. Lee Nak-yeon, former Democratic Party leader and Lee’s competitor, expressed concern on the same day, saying, "We do not know how the Daejang-dong investigation will unfold. Can we win the presidential election carrying such anxiety?" and added, "The crisis of the leading candidate is the crisis of the Democratic Party and the crisis of regime re-creation."

The opposition party is demanding the introduction of a special prosecutor and is taking an offensive stance. Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, has openly expressed his intention to push for a special prosecutor by leveraging the ruling party’s division between the Lee Jae-myung faction and the Lee Nak-yeon faction. On the same day, Lee appeared on a radio show and predicted, "Even within the Democratic Party, many conscientious members will say that this should be resolved through a special prosecutor."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the case of former Prosecutor General Yoon, he caught a break when the Daejang-dong development issue emerged after being embroiled in the allegation of instigating accusations. However, it is difficult to predict the future investigation situation. This matter concerns allegations that while he was Prosecutor General, the prosecution instigated accusations against the opposition party, and the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Division (Gong-su-cheo) is currently investigating. The prosecution confirmed that former Deputy Director of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Investigation Information Policy Division Son Jun-sung was involved in handing over the case to Gong-su-cheo. The key issue is whether there is a connection between former Policy Director Son and former Prosecutor General Yoon.

Yoon’s potentially bigger adverse factor is his verbal missteps. During a presidential primary debate, Yoon sparked controversy over superstition by writing the Chinese character for "king" (王) on his palm. After the controversy, his explanations such as "I washed mainly my fingers" and "Grandmothers wrote it for me" fueled accusations of lying. The phrase "one blunder a day" even circulated. The public and political circles have strong interest and scrutiny, but his lack of political experience is becoming a hindrance. The palm "king" controversy is also expected to shake his Christian-leaning support base.

Polling experts warn that although the ruling and opposition party support bases are united behind the leading candidates, so approval ratings themselves have not changed, public opinion could be shaken at any time. Lee Taek-soo, CEO of Realmeter, appeared on a radio show and, assuming evidence emerges linking the two presidential candidates to the Daejang-dong and instigating accusations allegations, analyzed, "The situation could be pushed to a point where the political landscape is greatly shaken."

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