'One Team Agreement' Not Even a Day Passed, Lee Jae-myung and Lee Nak-yeon Growl Again

Lee Jae-myung "Repeating the Same Attacks in Debates, It's Frustratingly Absurd"
Lee Nak-yeon Refutes Pledge Fulfillment Rate "If I Were That Incompetent, Why Was the Government Approval Rating High Then?"

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon, Gu Chae-eun] Even a day after candidates Lee Jae-myung and Lee Nak-yeon held the 'One Team Agreement Ceremony,' the sharp confrontation between them has not subsided on the 29th. As former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon's fierce pursuit narrows the gap in approval ratings between the two candidates, the 'do-or-die' style clashes have not eased. Although the pretext is mutual verification, the blades are directed at each other's emotions, deepening the conflict.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Governor Lee appeared on Gwangju MBC Radio's 'Hwang Dong-hyun's Focus' that morning and said, "After the agreement ceremony, I tried not to hurt each other as much as possible, but (the other side) immediately started negative attacks, and the same attacks were repeated in the debates," adding, "It's frustrating to the point of being absurd." Regarding his 'Baekje remarks,' which were criticized for 'inciting regional sentiment,' he expressed some grievance, saying, "I hope regionalism is not incited with well-intentioned words."

Former Democratic Party leader Lee also tried to restrain emotional expressions as much as possible, seemingly conscious of the agreement ceremony the day before, but he sharpened his tone to correct the 'pledge fulfillment rate' raised by Governor Lee. In particular, he did not hide his resentment not only toward Governor Lee but also other candidates regarding the frames of 'only walking on a flower path' and 'incompetence.' On KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' former leader Lee said, "If I were an incompetent prime minister, would the Moon Jae-in administration's approval rating have been so high at that time? As party leader, I passed 422 bills in just six and a half months." He then rebutted, "Turning a blind eye and acting as if nothing was done is a political offensive."

However, Governor Lee's side is focusing on the frame that 'former leader Lee is incompetent as a public official.' They point out that the pledge fulfillment evaluation during his tenure as Jeonnam governor was 'the worst in the nation.' Lee Kyung, deputy spokesperson of the Open Camp, directly stated on the 29th, "Present reasonable evidence or apologize if you cannot."

As the negative exchanges between candidates reach a peak, there is much public criticism, but the candidates seem largely unconcerned, calling it an 'inevitable process.' On YTN Radio's 'Hwang Bo-seon's Start New Morning,' Representative Kim Du-kwan said, "Such a level of verification offensive is unavoidable." Former leader Lee also left room for interpretation, saying, "Because of the nature of competition, I don't know how far restraint will go."