Nam Pyeong-o, Why Did He Reveal the 'Daejang-dong Allegation Tip-off' Now?

"Stop Criticizing Lee Nak-yeon for 'Causing Presidential Election Defeat'"
"Lee Jae-myung Has Been Shielded for 2 Years... A Decision Is Needed"

Nam Pyeong-o, former Chief of the Civil Affairs Office at the Prime Minister's Office and a close aide to former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, revealed that he was the first whistleblower of the Daejang-dong development preferential treatment allegations, motivated by the decision to "clear everything out this time." Since this statement came as Lee officially announced the formation of a new party, evaluations suggest that the unification between former leader Lee and current leader Lee Jae-myung has become virtually impossible ahead of next year's general election.

In an interview on the 29th with SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' Nam explained the reason for revealing himself as the whistleblower at this time, saying, "I thought, 'Let's clear everything out,'" and added, "Staying silent might raise suspicions that something is wrong with former leader Lee Nak-yeon, so I thought it would be better to disclose it confidently."

He explained, "Under Lee Jae-myung's leadership, he has been shielding himself for two years straight. Former leader Lee Nak-yeon has raised issues about this and talked about forming a new party, but rather, Lee's side is criticizing him, saying, 'Former leader Lee is trying to leave the party by making certain claims and providing reasons for the presidential election defeat.'" He continued, "It would be good if Lee Jae-myung apologized if he had done something wrong regarding the Daejang-dong allegations, but he kept promoting only his achievements," adding, "For example, when asked whether Daejang-dong is a boon or a bane, he said it was a boon but kept making excuses as if he had no responsibility."

Nam Pyeong-o, 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 Yonsei University and Gongsaeng, to make a statement.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the possibility of reconciliation between Lee Jae-myung and Lee Nak-yeon, he said, "If Lee reflects on his two years of shielding himself, takes responsibility, and steps down, then former leader Lee's decision will be necessary." He emphasized, "For former leader Lee not to leave the party, Lee Jae-myung must take responsibility and resign or form a unified emergency committee that does not interfere with candidate nominations, engaging in clear and concrete actions." Essentially, he believes there will be no reconciliation unless Lee resigns or gives up the nomination rights for next year's general election.

Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun also indirectly demanded Lee's resignation during a meeting with him the previous day. Chung reportedly mentioned 'Hyeonsaelsu' (letting go of the hand held at the cliff edge) and said to Lee, "Since the responsibility and authority to prevent party division and manage the situation lie with the party leader, I ask the party leader to take responsibility and manage the recent situation with a sense of duty."

Meanwhile, former leader Lee Nak-yeon plans to announce his position within the first week of next month. He attended a book launch event for former Goyang Mayor Choi Sung at the Deokyang Haengsin Comprehensive Welfare Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, and said, "It would be appropriate to inform the public of my position within the first week of January next year," adding, "I promised to give the Democratic Party time until the end of the year and to report to the public at the beginning of the new year, so I will keep that promise."

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