Lee Jae-myung: "Claiming I received 2 billion won in gangster funds is a presidential election conspiracy"... Counterattack on the Shin Hak-rim case

"Claim That I Received 2 Billion Won in Gangster Funds Is an Election Conspiracy"
"No Conditions for Ending the Hunger Strike," Determined to Proceed

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, responded to allegations of interview manipulation involving Kim Man-bae, the mastermind behind the Daejang-dong scandal, and Shin Hak-rim, former chairman of the Korean Federation of Journalists' Unions, by saying, "It is the real election manipulation that organized crime gangsters claim to have given me 2 billion won in gang funding." This was a counterattack against the ruling party and government, who raised suspicions of Lee's involvement and launched offensives such as "the greatest presidential election manipulation" and "Democratic Party's behind-the-scenes theory."

On the seventh day of his hunger strike, Lee said in an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' released that day, "The election manipulation is that the People Power Party mobilized organized crime gangsters in the last presidential election and gave 2 billion won in gang funding to Lee Jae-myung, then mayor of Seongnam," adding, "But that case was dismissed without charges, and now the court has decided to indict. This is a typical example of shamelessness and audacity." This remark targeted lawyer Jang Young-ha, who raised the 'organized crime involvement theory' against Lee during the last presidential election, was initially cleared by the prosecution, but recently the Democratic Party's 'retrial request' was accepted, and the case was sent back to trial.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the hunger strike tent in front of the National Assembly main building on the 6th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Lee reiterated his determination to continue his indefinite hunger strike while criticizing the Yoon Seok-youl administration's mismanagement and arbitrariness. He said, "There is no such thing as 'Mai-dong-pung' (a Korean idiom meaning 'to pay no attention to what others say') like this," adding, "They call reasonable problem-raising and the people's voice anti-state forces, so there is nothing else I can do (other than the hunger strike)."

Lee's hunger strike is expected to continue for the time being. He expressed his intention not to stop the hunger strike until there is a response to the opposition to the discharge from Fukushima, Japan, and demands for government reform. He said, "There can be no conditions for ending it," adding, "I am doing this to show the people and to share the pain the people are experiencing and how desperate the current situation is, so I cannot say, 'If you do this, I will stop (the hunger strike).'" He added, "The world is so desperate now that we have to risk our lives."

Regarding the ruling party's criticism that his hunger strike is a kind of 'bulletproof hunger strike' to prevent prosecution summons or arrest warrants, he expressed displeasure.

Lee said, "It seems like they think anything they say anywhere is true," adding, "Did I avoid investigation? I said I would be investigated, but the prosecution abusing its power for political manipulation like this should never happen. I said I would not convene a bulletproof National Assembly, and didn't they cut the August session for this?" Lee questioned, "Why force a vote? Are they trying to cause division and conflict in the opposition party?" He added, "Didn't I say I would go to the prosecution summons on time next week? That was said a long time ago, so what does it have to do with the hunger strike being bulletproof?"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the hunger strike tent in front of the National Assembly main building on the 6th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

In an interview with the YouTube channel 'Kim Eo-jun's Humility is Difficult News Factory' released that day, Lee also strongly criticized President Yoon's arbitrariness. Lee said about President Yoon, "Politics is originally a process of tolerating and reconciling different opinions, but now they try to kill everyone," adding, "It can only be read as 'I am the state, I am the king.'" He also emphasized, "In democracy, the people watch whether the players in the ring work for the people, and if they do wrong, they must be pulled down."

That morning, Lee posted on Facebook, "The people's livelihood issues have been pushed to the brink. There is no time to be obsessed with ideology," criticizing, "What era is this administration living in?" This is interpreted as targeting President Yoon's remark at the ruling party's retreat at the end of last month that "ideology is the most important." Lee emphasized, "They sacrifice people's livelihood and tear the people apart for outdated ideology and historical distortion," adding, "Ideology does not put food on the table. Therefore, this fight will not end even if I fall."

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