Lee Jae-myung's Son Accused of Illegal Gambling: "Parents Are at Fault, I Must Take Responsibility"

Candidate Lee on Son's Issue: "Must Take Corresponding Responsibility"
Candidate Lee: "Countless Crackdowns, But Things Didn't Go as Planned"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, attended the 'KRW 100 Trillion COVID-19 Supplementary Budget! Small Business and Self-Employed Damage Groups-Presidential Candidates Meeting' held at the Korea Federation of SMEs in Yeouido, Seoul on the 20th, and is reviewing materials. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, said on the 22nd regarding the illegal gambling allegations involving his son Dongho, "It is all the result of my parents' mistakes, so I must take full responsibility."

On the same day, Lee appeared on SBS's 'Joo Young-jin's News Briefing' and spoke about his son's current situation, saying, "There are so many reporters that he is currently on a short leave and staying elsewhere," and added, "He must naturally take corresponding responsibility."

Lee stated, "For people who can influence the exercise of state power, unlimited scrutiny is inevitable," and added, "Whether it is oneself, a spouse, an aide, or someone close, it cannot be helped."

He said, "I tried countless times to strictly monitor (my son) to prevent this from happening, but it seems it did not go as I intended," and continued, "(My son) does not blame me but feels remorse and regret, and says he will take responsibility himself. This part pains my heart."

Lee explained, "In 2018, at that time, my child had graduated, earned all the credits, but was postponing employment due to not finding a job, and I was undergoing trial," and added, "It seems these events happened at that time, so I failed to manage well. It is all my fault."

Regarding why he does not directly mention various allegations surrounding Kim Gun-hee, the spouse of Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party candidate, he responded, "The media and public interest focus on illegal and criminal matters, so the media and public will pursue that, but I am also a person who cannot say there is no problem at all. Who am I to criticize anyone?"

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