Lee Jae-myung: "Why doubt the claim that he doesn't remember Kim Moon-gi... There's no reason to hide"

People Power Party Criticizes Lee Jae-myung's 'Did Not Know Kim Moon-gi' Statement as "False Claim"
Lee Jae-myung Says "I Don't Know Why He Passed Away... Truly a Sad Matter"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Regarding Kim Moon-gi, the head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, who made an extreme choice while under prosecution investigation for preferential treatment allegations in the 'Daejang-dong Development Project,' Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, said, "He said he did not remember the person he spoke to several times when he was mayor, so why doubt that?" and added, "What reason would there be to hide it?"

On the 29th, during a talk concert titled 'Lee Jae-myung's Proposal - Dialogue with Youth' on Channel A, when asked, "Regarding Daejang-dong, two people recently made extreme choices, which is a tragic incident. To what extent can the candidate take responsibility, and how will you persuade the public who think it is a lie?" Lee responded, "I clearly said it is a matter of whether I know or not. I talked a lot with this person, but I said I did not know of his existence when I was mayor," giving this answer.

Regarding the suspicion that Kim, the former head, accompanied him on an overseas business trip in the past, Lee questioned, "If we went together, I would have seen his face, but he was a lower-level staff member. How could I know if it was him or someone else?" He also rebutted the allegation that he awarded a commendation to Kim during his tenure as Seongnam mayor, saying, "I give commendations to hundreds of people. If you ask why I can't specifically remember that person, is that an appropriate criticism?"

He continued, "The People Power Party released photos as if four people played golf together, but upon checking, it was a part of our group photo taken out and shown. It was manipulated," adding, "Even now, I see that half of them don't remember who I am."

Lee said, "When talking about responsibility, I do not know why that person passed away," and called it "a truly regrettable matter."

He added, "Actually, when I briefly thought about it during the investigation and trial for the case in which I was acquitted this time, suspects who say they did not commit a crime but are confronted only with evidence that makes it look like they did suddenly experience a mental breakdown. How should I live? There is no evidence favorable to me, only unfavorable evidence, and the police and prosecution made me like this, and some people have died," he mentioned.

He also said, "There can be various types of people who pass away while under investigation by investigative agencies," and "We need to consider why such things are written at the last moment. It was said on the premise that the person must have done something terribly wrong."

He held the opposition party responsible for the Daejang-dong project. Lee said, "Judging by common sense, the real people responsible are the People Power Party, who colluded with the thieving private developers," and criticized, "How can those who forced private development, received profits, and pressured me to do private development blame me for allowing private development? It doesn't make sense."

Lee also repeatedly emphasized on the 22nd that he did not know Kim. In an interview with SBS's 'Joo Young-jin's News Briefing' that day, he said about Kim, "I did not know him when I was mayor of Seongnam; he was a lower-level employee. I got to know him after I became governor of Gyeonggi Province when he was indicted over the Daejang-dong allegations."

In an interview on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 24th, when asked if he knew Kim during his time as Seongnam mayor, he said, "He was a lower-level employee, so I did not know him when I was mayor."

In response, the opposition party launched an offensive against Lee, calling it a "false claim." On the 25th, Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson for the election campaign committee, raised suspicions that Lee's connection with Kim began before Lee was elected mayor of Seongnam. According to the 'Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Year-end Outstanding Employee Commendation Plan (December 2015)' document secured and released by spokesperson Kim, Lee, during his tenure as Seongnam mayor in 2015, personally awarded Kim a commendation recognizing his achievements in the Daejang-dong development project.

Spokesperson Kim also released a photo showing Kim accompanying Lee as the head of Development Project Team 1 during a 10-night, 11-day business trip to Australia and New Zealand in January 2015, when Lee was re-elected as Seongnam mayor.

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