Yoon: "Moon's Deep-rooted Corruption Investigation Upsets Cheong? ... If There's No Problem" ... Lee: "It Could Sound Like Political Retaliation"

Regarding the National Assembly's supplementary budget increase, "Small business owners must be practically compensated"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok and Lee Gi-min] Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, responded to the Blue House's reaction of being "displeased" over his remarks about investigating accumulated evils of the current government by saying, "If they themselves think there is nothing wrong, then there is no reason to be displeased." Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate, expressed displeasure by mentioning the possibility of political retaliation.

On the 9th, after visiting Archbishop Jung Soon-taek at the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul in Jung-gu, Seoul, Yoon made these remarks to reporters.

Earlier, in an interview with a media outlet, when asked whether the next government would also pursue the investigation of accumulated evils like the Moon Jae-in administration, he said, "We will," but added, "The investigation conducted early in the current government was done according to constitutional principles, and if the next government investigates their own corruption and illegalities, is that retaliation? Everything is done according to the system." However, he clarified, "The president does not intervene."

In response, a senior Blue House official said, "We are very displeased," adding, "Even though it is an election, there are lines that must be respected."

Regarding the Blue House's reaction, Yoon said, "I was just saying that it happens according to the system," calling it "common sense."

He explained, "When someone commits a crime or illegal act, there is naturally a time lag until the investigative and judicial authorities detect and investigate it," and continued, "When a new government comes in, naturally, past government matters are detected over time, whether it be one, two, or three years later, and when problems arise, they are handled according to the normal judicial system. This is a fundamental point I have consistently made in recent interviews." He added, "What I did was a legitimate investigation of accumulated evils, and framing others' actions as retaliation is incorrect."

After attending the Life Safety National Promise Ceremony held at the Seoul Metropolitan Council in Jung-gu, candidate Lee said to reporters, "Depending on how it is heard, it could be interpreted as a statement about political retaliation, which is very embarrassing and regrettable." Earlier, in the interview, Yoon also mentioned the Daejang-dong scandal, where Lee was held responsible, saying, "I think there will be a reinvestigation," and added, "If prosecutors with a proper mindset investigate, do you think Yoo Dong-gyu did everything? The person with authority and decision-making power was the (then Seongnam) Mayor Lee Jae-myung."

Meanwhile, regarding the supplementary budget bill submitted by the government at around 14 trillion won, which increased to 54 trillion won in the National Assembly, Yoon said, "The damages to self-employed small business owners due to COVID-19 must be practically compensated," and added, "If about 50 trillion won in fiscal funds are secured, support should be distributed in a balanced way according to the extent of damage, and rent and loan support should be provided without disruption so that these people can recover quickly from their difficult situation." Candidate Lee also responded, "In this COVID-19 crisis, the scale of fiscal support relative to GDP is far too small compared to other countries, which seems more important."

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