[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Lee Jae-myung, the ruling party's presidential candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, on the 25th, regarding the 'Baekje controversy,' said to former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, "I hope you will discipline and restrain the camp officials who spread fake news claiming 'Lee Jae-myung promoted regionalism,' thereby fostering ruinous regionalism." This was effectively aimed at former leader Lee.
Lee Nak-yeon said on his Facebook on the same day, "People in the candidate's camp are engaging in extreme negativity. They are fabricating things I never said and attacking me by claiming 'Lee Jae-myung made regionalist remarks in an interview,'" he said.
Earlier, in a media interview on the 22nd, Lee Jae-myung said that when he met Lee Nak-yeon on July 30 last year, he said, "In the 5,000-year history of the Korean Peninsula, Baekje has never been the main force to unify the peninsula. If (Lee Nak-yeon) goes out and wins, that will be history," he conveyed.
In response, Lee Nak-yeon's camp criticized, "Is candidate Lee Jae-myung emphasizing 'Lee Nak-yeon's weakness is Honam' and advocating 'Honam exclusion theory'?"
Lee Jae-myung responded, "At that time, Lee Nak-yeon was overwhelmingly first place nationwide. I thought it was better for Lee Nak-yeon to win than me, so I asked him to achieve the first Honam-centered great unification in Korean Peninsula history and to end ruinous regionalism. Don't you remember?" he retorted.
Lee Jae-myung's election campaign committee also held a press conference at the National Assembly on the same day, demanding that former leader Lee apologize to candidate Lee Jae-myung and the public and take action against the camp spokesperson.
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