Lee Jae-myung "How to Take Responsibility for Pre-Marriage Matters" vs Lee Nak-yeon "Don't Ask About Pre-Presidential Matters..." Differences in Stance on 'Yoon Spouse Controversy'

Verbal Clash Among Primary Candidates Over 'Presidential Candidate Vetting Scope'

On the morning of July 25, 2019, Yoon Seok-yeol and Kim Geon-hee attended the appointment ceremony for the new Prosecutor General held at the Blue House.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province and a presidential candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on the 12th regarding the issue of presidential candidate verification, "It is not right to hold someone accountable for things they cannot be responsible for."

Earlier, when criticism arose within the ruling party regarding suspicions related to Kim Gun-hee, wife of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, Lee also argued, "Verification should be limited to the candidate as much as possible."

On the other hand, another Democratic Party presidential candidate, former party leader Lee Nak-yeon, expressed a different view from Lee Jae-myung. Lee Nak-yeon opposed the idea, saying that Lee Jae-myung's claim could imply that matters before becoming president should not be questioned.

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Lee Jae-myung said, "How can one be held responsible for things that happened before marriage?"

Regarding the presidential candidate verification process, Lee emphasized, "(Verification) is about whether the candidate has the capability or is fit to represent the country, so everything related to the candidate must be verified."

He added, "Of course, the candidate's family should be verified, and so should the spouse, but the period before marriage when there was no relationship is actually an area where the candidate cannot be held responsible," he questioned. He further stressed, "The intention of my statement is not to exclude the spouse from verification."

Regarding the scandal with actress Kim Bu-seon, Lee said, "You can judge based on objective facts." When the host asked again, "I ask because there is no way to access objective facts," Lee replied, "There are all the ways. We did everything in the past," and then avoided the question by saying, "Let's stop now."

When criticized that the 'Refreshing Lee Jae-myung' has disappeared during the preliminary election process, he explained, "Other candidates may have different positions," adding, "For me, I need to preserve the one team to minimize losses and ensure our capabilities are maximized in the general election, so I should not attack other candidates harshly. It's like boxing with tied hands and feet."

He continued, "Given my situation, I have to worry about the general election," and said, "What meaning is there if I win the primary but lose the general election?" He added, "If the primary is conducted fiercely, it will cause serious problems later," and said, "To win a close race, I must minimize internal conflicts even if it means personal loss. Others may kick me and use negative tactics, but I am in a position where even positive attacks should not be taken amiss."

Presidential primary candidate Lee Nak-yeon Photo by Yonhap News

◆ Lee Nak-yeon Criticizes Lee Jae-myung's Remarks: "'Don't Ask About Pre-Presidential Matters' Could Be Accepted, But Should Not Be"

Regarding this, another leading Democratic Party presidential candidate, former party leader Lee Nak-yeon, said about the suspicions related to Kim, wife of former Prosecutor General Yoon, "The president's spouse holds a public office," and "In that case, the public naturally has the right to know about such a person." He criticized Lee Jae-myung's stance that Yoon cannot be held responsible for Kim's pre-marriage matters, saying, "If you use that kind of logic, it could be interpreted as 'don't ask about things before becoming president.' That should not be allowed."

In an interview with BBS Radio's 'Park Kyung-soo's Morning Journal,' Lee Nak-yeon emphasized, "The president is the face of the nation, and the president's family is also the face of the nation. So, while it's not about digging into every private matter, it is natural to uncover things that could be socially problematic or of interest to the majority of the public."

He added, "Hiding such things does not make them disappear," and said, "I underwent hearings for two days even to become prime minister, who is below the president. I even heard demands like 'submit your daughter-in-law's academic transcript.'"

Especially regarding Yoon's claim that he was pressured by the Blue House during his tenure, Lee directly countered, "If you are going to talk about your time as Prosecutor General, shouldn't you start by explaining why your mother-in-law was not prosecuted and make a confession yourself?" and said, "I think that would be more fair."