Tearful Lee Jae-myung: "I Take Full Responsibility for the Daejang-dong Allegations... I Reflect on It"

"The very statement of having no responsibility is wrong"

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the "National Election Committee with All Citizens and Korea's Great Transformation Made Together with Youth" held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 22nd. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, showed a remorseful attitude throughout the election campaign committee (선대위) meeting, saying, "I admit that saying I am not responsible was itself a mistake" regarding the Daejang-dong scandal.

On the morning of the 22nd, at the National Assembly, Lee apologized during the nationwide election campaign committee meeting held with four young people including job seekers, working moms, newlyweds, and young entrepreneurs, saying, "Regarding the Daejang-dong issue, I only claimed that 'we recovered 70%,' 'we did what other local leaders could not,' 'we achieved this despite obstruction from the People Power Party,' and 'we did not take any private profits from this huge interest project.'

He said, "I admit that saying I am not responsible for the public's criticism of 'Why couldn't you recover everything?' and 'Why couldn't you prevent such a corrupt feast in the private sector?' was itself a mistake," adding, "Because that itself is my responsibility."

He continued, "We should have overcome such resistance and obstruction related to Daejang-dong and met the demands and expectations of the people," and pledged, "I acknowledge the shortcomings and will take responsibility with better changes going forward."

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is purchasing fruit at Hwaji Central Market in Nonsan, Chungnam, on the 20th. Photo by Yonhap News

The most emphasized point by the candidate that day was 'reflection.' Lee said, "I will thoroughly self-reflect. I failed to fully meet the expectations placed on the overwhelming 180 seats. I also apologize regarding real estate issues."

Lee became emotional while mentioning the case of a 95-year-old senior he met during his visit to the Chungcheong region last weekend, advocating practical reform for people's livelihood. He said, "I saw a 95-year-old senior crouching on the market floor, unable to even fix their hair, trying hard to sell 5,000 won worth of taro," and was at a loss for words for a while.

He added, "There were people who hugged me and cried, saying, 'Please help the poor and the needy.' I wondered if I have been embracing their tears with my heart and living accordingly," and said, "I will use even the smallest authority to the best of my ability to improve the pain of the vulnerable and those people in this land."

Addressing the youth, Lee said, "The older generation enjoyed many opportunities in the high-growth society and achieved a considerable degree of success from the state, occupying a vested position in this society. However, our youth now have to compete fiercely for small opportunities in a low-growth society due to the responsibility of the older generation," and apologized, saying, "I apologize for creating the most vulnerable class in history and feel infinite responsibility."

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