"Lee Jae-myung is Addicted to Breach of Trust" vs "Successful Public Interest Recovery Model"... Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash over 'Daejang-dong'

Heated Debate Between Ruling and Opposition Parties Over 'Daejang-dong' Allegations Surrounding Lee Jae-myung

On the 17th, figures from both ruling and opposition parties appeared on Channel A's special program "Talking about Daejang-dong" to debate the 'Daejang-dong' allegations surrounding Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate.
Photo by Channel A special program "Talking about Daejang-dong" capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties debated the 'Daejang-dong Development Special Favor Allegation' surrounding Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate. People Power Party lawmakers called Lee a 'embezzlement addict' and 'makeup artist,' demanding the introduction of a special prosecutor, while Democratic Party lawmakers countered that those who opposed public development and those revealed to have received money so far are related to the People Power Party or the previous administration, saying, "The obvious cash flow must be investigated."

On the night of the 17th, Channel A's special program "Talking about Daejang-dong" featured Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung’s chief of staff, lawmaker Kim Nam-guk, and spokesperson Park Chan-dae, People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong, head of the Yoon Seok-youl campaign's comprehensive support headquarters, and lawmaker Cho Kyung-tae, co-chairman of the Hong Joon-pyo campaign election committee, who engaged in a discussion about the Daejang-dong allegations, a major issue in this presidential election.

Democratic Party lawmakers Park Chan-dae and Kim Nam-guk emphasized that the Daejang-dong development project was successful in recovering public interest to the extent that it has been benchmarked overseas. On the other hand, People Power Party lawmaker Cho Kyung-tae said, "The names Yoo Dong-gyu and Nam Wook also appeared in the Wirye New Town in 2013," and added, "I see candidate Lee as an embezzlement addict. If a special prosecutor is introduced, embezzlement will be revealed." People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong also claimed, "Candidate Lee Jae-myung excessively promoted preferential projects during his time as mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province."

Regarding the arrest of Yoo Dong-gyu, former planning director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, on embezzlement charges, lawmaker Kwon said, "The project designer was then-mayor Lee Jae-myung, and the arrested Yoo Dong-gyu was merely a staff member," adding, "If he did not know that such profits would be made in Daejang-dong, he was incompetent; if he knew, it was embezzlement."

Lawmaker Cho also said, "Candidate Lee is a makeup artist," emphasizing, "Now is the time to remove the makeup. If he does not remove it himself, the people will do it."

In response, Democratic Party lawmakers from Lee’s side raised their voices, saying that the so-called '50 Billion Club' list, which contains allegations of receiving large sums from Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management (Hwacheon Daeyu), includes People Power Party officials and figures from the previous administration, and that it is actually People Power Party officials whose corruption has been revealed.

Lawmaker Kim said, "The evidence that Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, is close to candidate Lee is at the 'hearsay' level, but the fact is that Kim’s sister bought the house of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl’s father," and claimed, "There are many testimonies that former Prosecutor General Yoon and Kim are like brothers."

Lawmaker Park also said, "The investigation should focus on the cash parts, such as the retirement pay of lawmaker Kwak Sang-do’s son or the apartment pre-sale rights of former special prosecutor Park Young-soo’s daughter, but investigations based only on recorded conversations are insufficient."

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