Lee Jae-myung "I Reflect and Apologize for Drunk Driving Without Excuse"
Kim Du-gwan "Reports Continue That 1.5 Million Won Fine Is Strange... 700,000 Won Is Common for First Offenders"
On the 2nd, Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, is holding a press conference at the Democratic Party of Korea's Chungbuk Provincial Office. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Lee Jae-myung, the ruling party's presidential candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, addressed suspicions raised by some regarding the number of his past DUI offenses, stating, "I have submitted all my criminal records during the nomination screening, regardless of the amount of fines, from a long time ago."
On the 3rd, Lee met with reporters at the National Assembly and said, "The party's candidate probably wanted to point out Lee Jae-myung's past, but all criminal records have been submitted." This appears to be a rebuttal to Democratic Party presidential contender Kim Doo-kwan's earlier doubts about Lee's number of DUI offenses.
Lee explained, "As you know, I have a record of being punished for obstructing city administration while campaigning for the establishment of a municipal medical center, and I was falsely accused in a power-related corruption case called the preferential allocation incident, where I was accused of impersonating a prosecutor while exposing the case. I was also fined 500,000 won after being targeted in an investigation just for handing out business cards under the subway stairs, and all of this has been disclosed."
He added, "Without any excuse, I reflect on and apologize for the fact that I committed DUI."
However, he expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "This is also a matter of minimal affection for colleagues. Since all criminal records have been submitted and they must have submitted theirs as well, it is hard to understand such remarks."
Earlier on the same day (the 3rd), Democratic Party presidential candidate Kim Doo-kwan posted on his social media, "There are continuous reports that Lee Jae-myung's 1.5 million won fine for DUI is suspicious," pointing out, "In the past, a first-time DUI offense typically resulted in a 700,000 won fine, while repeated offenses, heavy drinking, or accidents resulted in fines of 1.5 million won."
He said, "Let's disclose all criminal records with fines under 1 million won," adding, "The People Power Party is even forming a candidate verification team, but we have never thought of such a thing, intoxicated by poll ratings."
Kim stated, "Since the primary election is about selecting the Democratic Party's representative to present to the people, if we ourselves cannot conduct this level of verification, how can that be acceptable? I will immediately apply for my criminal record report, and I propose that all candidates who agree do the same. This is the only way to proceed cleanly without further controversy."
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