Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential primary candidate, is passing by candidate Lee Nak-yeon during the YTN-hosted TV debate held at the YTN Media Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the 4th.
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] The "Myeong-Nak showdown" between the two leading presidential candidates from the ruling party, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung and former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, has reignited.
On the afternoon of the 4th, during the second presidential candidate TV debate hosted by YTN, former leader Lee announced his political reform pledge, stating, "In the National Assembly, I will limit the immunity privileges of lawmakers and introduce a national recall system," adding, "While guaranteeing the freedom of speech and voting of lawmakers, we must prevent the spread of false information and abuse of power."
In response, Representative Park Yong-jin asked, "Why didn't you limit lawmakers' privileges during your time as party leader?" Governor Lee also questioned, "Since there was no answer to Representative Park's question, I ask again. You were the leader of the ruling party with an overwhelming 180 seats and had the authority. The national recall system and immunity privileges could have been addressed then, so are you saying you intend to do it only after becoming president?"
Former leader Lee retorted, "I was not idle at that time." He elaborated, "During about six and a half months, we processed 422 bills, spending a hectic time. It was not just the number of bills, but also many important laws such as the 4.3 Special Act, the Gwangju 5.18-related laws, the Local Autonomy Act, the Fair Trade Act, the National Intelligence Service Act, and the Police Act. We were just behind in the order."
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