Yeo Yoon-gwan and Lee Seong-man Leave Party... Lee Jae-myung Says "They Made a Decision for the Party" (Comprehensive)

2021 Donbongtu Envelope Scandal, Prosecutors' Political Offensive Also Played a Role
Yoon Kwan-seok, Lee Sung-man Lawmakers "Voluntarily Resign for Party's Sake"
Submitted Resignation After Personal Statement at Party Meeting on 3rd Afternoon

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 3rd that the decision of lawmakers Yoon Kwan-seok and Lee Sung-man, who were involved in the 'money envelope scandal,' to leave the party was "a decision they made for the party."

As analyses emerged that this money envelope incident could be a significant burden for the Democratic Party ahead of next year's general election, there had been pressure within the party for the two lawmakers to be expelled or to voluntarily leave. Regarding this, Lee emphasized that it was their 'own decision' and drew a line against the possibility of party-level involvement.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 3rd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the day, after the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in the morning, Lee responded to reporters' questions asking, "Did you directly persuade the two lawmakers to leave the party?" by saying, "They made the decision themselves."

However, it is known that he expressed both regret and gratitude to the two lawmakers for their decision to voluntarily leave the party.

Senior Spokesperson Kwon Chil-seung told reporters after the meeting, "(Leader Lee) expressed many words filled with regret and sorrow for not being able to stay together until the end," and "He also expressed much gratitude for their decision."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Lawmakers Yoon Kwan-seok and Lee Sung-man, who were involved in the 'money envelope scandal' during the 2021 Democratic Party of Korea party convention, decided to 'voluntarily leave the party' on this day.

They emphasized that the money envelope scandal was a 'political attack' by the prosecution aimed at the opposition party and that they decided to leave the party in the spirit of 'putting the party before oneself.'

Lawmaker Yoon stated, "With the spirit of putting the party before oneself, I have decided to leave the Democratic Party."

He added, "I sincerely apologize for causing much trouble to the party and worrying the public due to various incidents. Although I have much to say about the facts, I will sincerely cooperate with the investigation and prosecution process to clarify this issue. I will provide more details later."

Lawmaker Lee also bowed his head and said, "I sincerely apologize to the public, my constituents, and the party for causing controversy."

However, he said, "I believe one of the causes of this incident was partly the prosecution's political attack," and announced plans for legal battles.

Lee said, "With the spirit of putting the party before oneself, I will leave the party together with Lawmaker Yoon and do my best to reveal the truth through legal battles."

Some analysts suggest that leaving the party at this time, ahead of next year's general election, may make it difficult to be reinstated later. In response to reporters' questions asking if it was a difficult decision, Lee replied, "It is more important for our country's democracy and our party to develop healthily than for me to hold one seat as a lawmaker."

The two lawmakers are expected to proceed with the resignation process after making personal statements at the Democratic Party's parliamentary meeting held in the afternoon.

Lawmaker Yoon said, "I will make a personal statement at the parliamentary meeting," and added, "I will submit my resignation immediately after the personal statement."

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