Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, who officially declared his candidacy for the presidential election, is visiting the National Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, on the 1st, paying respects at the Memorial Tower. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Lee Jae-myung, the ruling party's presidential candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, bowed his head on the 1st and said, "It is true that I verbally abused my sister-in-law. I ask for forgiveness for my shortcomings," regarding past controversies such as the 'sister-in-law verbal abuse file.'
After the 'Pledge for Fair Election Practice' held at the Glad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, Lee met with reporters and responded to their question, "If the primary election overheats, negative disputes will also begin. Haven't there already been personal life controversies raised?" by saying, "I apologize for my shortcomings and believe I have provided sufficient explanation."
He said, "If I could go back to those days, I would try not to do it again, but honestly, I don't know how I would act," adding, "My mother devoted her life to raising seven siblings, but my older brother was mentally unstable, threatened my mother, subjected her to verbal abuse that would be hard for an ordinary woman to endure, and even assaulted her."
He continued, "As a public official, at that time, I was prepared to resign from public office," and stated, "About ten years have passed, and I have matured a lot."
Lee said, "Such tragic events will never happen again in the future. The root cause of the conflict was trying to prevent family members from interfering in vested interests," and added, "I ask the public to consider this and forgive my shortcomings," bowing his head afterward.
When asked, "How will you overcome the backlash among party members with voting rights?" he replied, "I think differences in opinions or positions within the party are natural," but added, "Although there are differences, we are basically one team, so I believe we can reach a consensus through continuous persuasion and discussion."
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