Whistleblower in Daejang-dong Scandal, Lee Nak-yeon's Closest Aide... What Are the Implications?

"Lee Jae-myung Faces Years of Allegations... Must Take Political Responsibility"
Pro-Nak Faction's Shin Kyung-min: "Myeong-Nak Relationship Is Not a Variable"

The person who first reported the Daejang-dong development preferential treatment suspicion to the media was revealed to be Nam Pyeong-o, former Chief of the Civil Affairs Office at the Prime Minister's Secretariat and a close aide of former leader Lee Nak-yeon. Within the Democratic Party of Korea, there is speculation that the faction of former leader Lee Nak-yeon has effectively declared a break from the faction of leader Lee Jae-myung.

On the 28th, Democratic Party lawmaker Jin Seong-jun said on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' that Nam himself revealing he was the whistleblower "seems to express his intention to break ties with leader Lee Jae-myung and leave the Democratic Party, which is very worrisome." He expressed skepticism about Nam's claim that former leader Lee Nak-yeon was unaware of the whistleblowing. Jin said, "Would they have discussed specifically where to report and how to publicize it? Even if not, such matters would have been shared and reported in advance," adding, "Since (former leader Lee) also raised the issue directly or indirectly in TV debates after the reports, it should be assumed he knew about it."

Jin stated that if leader Lee Jae-myung's innocence is proven, appropriate measures should be taken accordingly. He said, "Since the facts will be clarified through the trial, if leader Lee's innocence is clearly established, there should be a corresponding apology and political responsibility," adding, "Morally, there should be an apology for raising suspicions against an innocent person and causing him to suffer for years."

Nam Pyung-oh, former Chief of the Civil Affairs Office at the Prime Minister's Secretariat, held a press conference on the afternoon of the 27th at the Central Veterans Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, hosted by Yeondae and Gongsaeng, to make a statement. Nam, the former Civil Affairs Chief, revealed that he was the first person to report to the media the 'Daejang-dong development preferential treatment suspicion' involving Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Floor leader Hong Ik-pyo expressed concern on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that "It is difficult to speak definitively because the possibility of a meeting between (leader Lee Jae-myung and former leader Lee Nak-yeon) has not completely disappeared," but added, "It will not create a good atmosphere within the party." Former Democratic Party lawmaker Shin Kyung-min, who is pro-Lee Nak-yeon, said on KBS's 'Special 1 Radio Today' that "Since the prosecution investigation and trial are ongoing, who the whistleblower is does not have much significance," and "We can only wait for the trial results."

When asked if this fallout makes unity between leader Lee Jae-myung and former leader Lee Nak-yeon difficult, he said, "We and leader Lee Jae-myung's side only recently learned of Nam's existence," adding, "He cannot be a new variable." Previously, Nam himself revealed that he was the whistleblower of the Daejang-dong suspicion. The Daejang-dong suspicion was first raised in August 2021 in a reporter's notebook by Park Jong-myung of Gyeonggi Economy Newspaper, based on an anonymous tip. Nam claimed he was the person who provided that tip.

Nam held a press conference the day before and said, "In early July 2021, a native resident of Daejang-dong came to me and requested an investigation into the Daejang-dong corruption suspicion," adding, "As the head of the comprehensive situation room for the primary election campaign, I looked into the facts and discovered the role of Kim Man-bae." However, Nam stated that he did not report the related analysis or the whistleblowing to former leader Lee. He explained, "At that time, the Lee Jae-myung camp was intensifying attacks, claiming that Lee Nak-yeon was conducting 'negative' campaigns, so I judged that reporting to former leader Lee would only provide an opportunity for counterattacks, and thus decided to report to the media instead of informing him."

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