'Daejang-dong Allegations' and 'Lobbying Recording by Executive Secretary'... Negative Campaigning Between Ruling and Opposition Until the Last Moment

與 "Yoon, Busan Savings Bank Chief Prosecutor"
野 "Lee's 'Supreme Court Justice Lobby' is an Even Bigger Nuclear Bomb"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] With the presidential election just one day away, both ruling and opposition parties remain engrossed in negative campaigning until the last moment. Surrounding the recently surfaced ‘Kim Man-bae’s recorded conversation,’ the Democratic Party of Korea is focusing on shifting the spotlight of the Daejang-dong scandal onto Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party’s presidential candidate, while the People Power Party emphasizes that Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party’s candidate, is still the ‘core figure’ of the Daejang-dong scandal.

On this day, the Democratic Party launched an all-out offensive to change the narrative. Kang Hoon-sik, head of the Democratic Party’s Election Strategy Planning Headquarters, stated on CBS Radio on the 8th regarding the recording, “It is a fact that Candidate Yoon was the chief prosecutor of Busan Savings Bank,” and pointed out, “(Regarding the Daejang-dong development project) the investment funds were made possible by loans exceeding 100 billion won from Busan Savings Bank.” Additionally, Cho Eung-cheon, co-head of the campaign’s joint situation room, emphasized on MBC Radio the need to “pass a special prosecutor law in the March extraordinary session of the National Assembly” to investigate the Daejang-dong scandal. Alongside this, Woo Sang-ho, general election headquarters chief of the Democratic Party, raised his voice at a headquarters meeting by pointing out the ‘double standards’ controversy and the stock manipulation allegations involving spouse Kim Geon-hee, saying, “We cannot entrust this country to Candidate Yoon, who is full of deception and hypocrisy.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In response, the People Power Party is countering by questioning the authenticity of the recordings. Kwon Young-se, head of the campaign headquarters, stated at the campaign headquarters meeting that day, “It is nothing short of ridiculous that after the Daejang-dong incident was reported in the media, they sat together and fabricated recordings as if they were significant evidence.”

Moreover, the People Power Party fired back by highlighting a recording report that surfaced in 2020, which suggested that Lee’s personal secretary had lobbied the Supreme Court. Ha Tae-kyung, a People Power Party lawmaker, said on CBS Radio that day, “The bigger bombshell was the recording saying ‘We have closely worked on the Supreme Court justices,’” adding, “It is well known that this person is very close to Candidate Lee, and it seems the Democratic Party is more desperate.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The exchanges between the candidates have also intensified. Candidate Lee, during a campaign rally in Busan the previous day, delved into allegations of Yoon’s involvement in covering up the Busan Savings Bank loan corruption case, emphasizing, “The truth behind the Busan Savings Bank case, which caused nearly 40,000 victims, is coming to light.” He also directly shared reports containing the recordings on social media that day, appealing for support by saying, “I trust the wise judgment of the great people.”

Candidate Yoon, likewise, at a campaign rally in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, on the same day, asserted that Candidate Lee is the main figure behind the Daejang-dong scandal, criticizing, “(The Democratic Party) elected the core of corruption as their presidential candidate.” Furthermore, Candidate Yoon has recently intensified his negative campaign by strongly criticizing the current administration’s real estate failures and the Democratic Party’s political reform proposals during his rallies.

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