Lee, who avoided mentioning Daejang-dong... switches to active offense

Holding a 'Yoon Jugeo' Placard at the Debate... Mutual Special Prosecution and Resignation Demands Continue After the Debate

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] The attitude of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, toward the Daejang-dong scandal has changed. Although it was the biggest variable hindering Lee during the Democratic Party primary, he now seems to be shifting the responsibility frame onto Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party candidate. However, political circles believe there is a possibility of a counterattack since the court has not yet ruled on the evidentiary value and credibility of the audio recordings Lee presented. Each camp has once again launched sharp attacks demanding a special prosecutor and resignation.

On the 21st, during the first televised court debate, Lee held up a placard with the audio recordings and personally read contents such as "If this is the card I have, Yoon Seok-youl is dead." He also demanded an apology, revealing that the so-called ‘that person’ in the recordings was identified as a sitting Supreme Court justice.

Until now, Lee had taken a low-profile stance on the Daejang-dong scandal, saying, "I was insufficient in understanding the public’s disillusionment over unfair gains," and only maintained minimal defensive posture. However, with the additional release of the audio recordings of Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, and accountant Jeong Young-hak?key investigative materials from the prosecution regarding the Daejang-dong allegations?he seems to have seen an opportunity for a turnaround.

In political circles, Lee’s shift in stance is interpreted as a fully prepared process starting from an apology mode, moving to clarifying controversies, and then launching a counterattack. In fact, after the official election campaign began, Lee started shifting responsibility to the People Power Party, saying, "Everyone can criticize that we couldn’t recover 100% of the development profits, but how can those groups who blocked the recovery and shared some profits criticize Lee Jae-myung?" Especially during a rally in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province on the 20th, he warned of a counterattack, stating, "They took 70% of the private development profits from Daejang-dong and are now complaining why we couldn’t take 30%. They themselves were the ones who embezzled."

The People Power Party still maintains the position that "Lee is at the core of the Daejang-dong allegations." After the debate, a spokesperson from the campaign headquarters evaluated the contents Lee disclosed as "all false," saying, "There is no specific content about what charges were filed for an arrest warrant against candidate Yoon or why he is said to be dead." Furthermore, considering that Lee himself revealed he was the ‘designer of Daejang-dong’ and was the final approver of permits and other matters during the development process, they argued that he cannot escape responsibility.

Because of this, if Lee’s scope of responsibility and the credibility of the audio recordings are confirmed during the upcoming trial, it is highly likely that both candidates will suffer considerable damage. A lawyer with a prosecution background also stated, "Regardless of who wins, they will face a situation where they must be held accountable for their previous statements depending on the trial process and outcome of the Daejang-dong case."

The offstage battle over Daejang-dong has already begun. On the 22nd, Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party, defined the Daejang-dong development preferential treatment allegations as the ‘Yoon Seok-youl Gate’ during the Supreme Council meeting and announced plans to push for a special prosecutor after the presidential election. Kim Ki-hyun, floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized, "There were reports that the audio recordings mention the ‘Lee Jae-myung Gate,’ but candidate Lee lied saying there is no ‘Lee Jae-myung Gate.’ He should resign quickly."

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