Ahn Cheol-soo: "Lee Jae-myung Must Call for Special Prosecutor to Prove He Is Not the 'Daejang-dong Scandal' Mastermind"

"Daejang-dong Gate, a Massive Corruption Cartel... Privatizing Public Authority to Embezzle Astronomical Amounts of Money"

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party, is preparing to speak at the 'Special Investigation Request for Hwacheon Daeyu Daejang-dong Gate' youth busking event held in front of Lotte Castle Jamsil in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 12th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, emphasized that a special prosecutor is necessary for Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province and the central figure in the Daejang-dong development preferential treatment allegations, to prove that he is not the mastermind.

On the afternoon of the 12th, Ahn appeared on CBS Radio’s 'Hanpan Seungbu' and said, "If he accepts a special prosecutor, he can restore his honor and, if it is truly a 'People Power Party gate' as Lee claims, it would be the best means to punish the People Power Party officials," expressing this view.

Regarding his recent vocal stance on the Daejang-dong preferential treatment allegations, Ahn said, "Isn’t this the issue that the public is most angry about right now?" He added, "The Daejang-dong gate seems to reveal various systemic problems that South Korea has faced so far all at once. There is such a massive corruption cartel in our country, and it used public authority, privatized public power, and took away astronomical amounts of money."

He continued, "Whose money would that be? Ultimately, it is money that should have been distributed evenly to our citizens or young people, but since it was discovered that it was taken away, the public is truly very angry," he added.

Regarding 'that person' mentioned in the recorded conversation between Jeong Young-hak, owner of Cheonhwa-dongin No. 5, who is related to the Daejang-dong preferential treatment allegations, and Kim Man-bae, major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, Ahn said, "There are suspicions about who that person is, but there is no concrete evidence yet." He added, "Evidence will likely be revealed through investigation. But in any case, I believe Governor Lee Jae-myung is responsible. If he was unaware of this, it is incompetence; if he knew, it is dereliction of duty by a public official. If he participated, it is a crime," he pointed out.

Furthermore, Ahn directed toward Governor Lee, saying, "The truth about the Daejang-dong gate must be clarified first," and criticized, "If the truth is not clarified and he simply becomes president promising reform, it is nothing but empty words. Also, if Lee Jae-myung is elected president without the facts of the Daejang-dong gate being properly investigated, public suspicion will remain."

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