[Comprehensive] Lee Nak-yeon’s Offensive on ‘Daejang-dong Allegations’: “I Don’t Act Like Candidate Lee Jae-myung”

OBS-hosted TV Debate
Lee Nak-yeon Criticizes Lee Jae-myung, Asking "Do You Think the Daejang-dong Issue Is an Advantage?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] The clash between Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung and former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon continued in the final debate of the Democratic Party primary candidates.

Former leader Lee brought up the "Daejang-dong scandal" from the opening remarks of the TV debate hosted by OBS. He said, "The Daejang-dong incident has become a burden for the Democratic Party, causing great anger and disappointment among the public. A significant part of this is directed at the Democratic Party," adding, "I lose sleep at night wondering if we can win the presidential election while carrying this unstable situation. Please choose a path that is not fraught with anxiety."

The offensive continued in the subsequent moderated debate. Former leader Lee asked Governor Lee, "In the last debate, you answered that the Daejang-dong issue was a positive for the Democratic Party, which surprised me," and inquired about the background of his statement.

Governor Lee responded, "I think it is an opportunity to acknowledge that Lee Jae-myung managed to recover 500 billion won despite the fierce obstruction from the People Power Party and institutional limitations," adding, "Where else can you find a local leader who works this hard? I tried to recover the funds and return them to the citizens, and since we achieved some results and even paid off Seongnam City's debt, I consider this a chance to promote my achievements."

Former leader Lee raised his voice, saying, "The original residents complained that they sold their land at a low price under the name of public development, and the residents accused that because it was private development, the price ceiling system was not applied, resulting in expensive housing. Meanwhile, a small group of construction elites received billions in dividends and retirement pay," and asked, "How should we respond to this situation?"

Governor Lee countered, "This project dates back to 2015 when the real estate market was in a slump and house prices fell. Since 70% of the expected profits were recovered, the developer was supposed to receive 180 billion won, but during the period until 2018, house prices soared, increasing the developer's profits," adding, "The Prime Minister should also consider the house price surge."

He continued, "Isn't former leader Lee a member of the Democratic Party? The core issue is that the People Power Party obstructed this, blocked public development, and unfairly profited from development gains. You keep raising issues with me without addressing that, which is frustrating," he added.

Former leader Lee referred to Governor Lee's SNS statement, saying, "I empathize with the anger and disappointment of the majority of the people as someone responsible in the Democratic Party," and quoted, "I take 100% responsibility because I am the final person in charge of Seongnam City," questioning, "Isn't this different from the current situation?"

Governor Lee said, "I express my regret. Since the full facts have not yet been revealed, I suggested we observe the process," adding, "You know how many accidents happen under your leadership when you were Jeonnam Province governor, a member of the National Assembly, and Prime Minister. Please think about it the same way."

Former leader Lee retorted, "I did not act like Governor Lee. I apologized much more deeply," he responded.

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