Lee Hae-chan "No matter how urgent the election, 'impeachment' remarks go too far... Need to regain reason"

Silent on the Im Miri Professor Accusation Incident

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the expanded executive meeting held at the National Assembly on the 14th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso@

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the Liberty Korea Party's call for the impeachment of President Moon Jae-in, saying, "It does not help in elections." He did not comment on the case of Professor Im Miri's accusation.

On the morning of the 14th at an expanded executive meeting held at the National Assembly, Lee said, "No matter how urgent the election is, the opposition parties' remarks are going too far. They are even uttering the absurd words of impeaching the president," criticizing them. He added, "There is no way to win an election with provocative words and pledges," and emphasized, "I hope the opposition parties regain their reason."

Regarding the COVID-19 situation, he said, "In the past ten days, there has been only one confirmed case, and seven of the confirmed cases have recovered, so the COVID-19 infectious disease is being well managed." He continued, "While quarantine and treatment are important, we must also make every effort to respond to economic contraction," and emphasized, "The party and government are preparing damage relief measures for small and medium-sized enterprises, small business owners, and self-employed people, but the fundamental solution is for the public to put down excessive worries and carry on with their daily lives."

Regarding the party's primary elections, he said, "Yesterday, we announced 52 primary election districts, and after the second announcement this weekend, the outline of the primary election districts will be fully established." He added, "The full-scale primary race will begin from next weekend," and urged, "Since 50% of the vote reflects not only party members but also the public's opinion, I hope the public will take an interest and actively participate."

However, Lee did not publicly comment on questions about the controversial accusation case involving Professor Im. The Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Press Arbitration Commission over Professor Im's column titled 'Let's Vote Without the Democratic Party' and subsequently reported it to the prosecution for possible election law violations. As the controversy escalated, on the morning of the same day, the party expressed regret, acknowledging that "the complaint was excessive" and indicated its intention to withdraw it.