"Will MB Repeat?" Lee Nak-yeon Side Criticizes... Lee Jae-myung Side Asks, "Are You in the Same Boat with the Opposition?"

Seolhun "Everyone Knows the Flaws Governor Lee Jae-myung Has"
Lee's Camp "Giving the Opposition a Justification to Attack"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential primary candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, is answering reporters' questions after visiting a single mother facility in Nam-gu, Gwangju, on the morning of the 18th. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The camp of Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province and a leading presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, engaged in a sharp verbal clash with the camp of another presidential candidate, former party leader Lee Nak-yeon.

Regarding the remark by Seol Hoon, a Democratic Party lawmaker and head of the election headquarters for former leader Lee, who said, "MB (former President Lee Myung-bak) is in prison, so is there a need to repeat this?" Lee Jae-myung's camp criticized, "Are you trying to row in the same boat as the opposition party?"

Hyun Geun-taek, spokesperson for Lee Jae-myung's camp, wrote on his Facebook on the 19th, "It can be seen that candidate Lee Nak-yeon also agrees with lawmaker Seol's thoughts," expressing this view.

He continued, "The problem is that such remarks give the opposition party a justification to attack candidate Lee Jae-myung," and pointed out, "When opposition figures attack candidate Lee Jae-myung over the Daejang-dong case, they start by saying, 'This is a statement from the ruling party candidate's camp.'"

He then asked, "How should we view the fact that what Lee Nak-yeon’s camp is saying is giving the opposition party a justification to attack candidate Lee Jae-myung?" and questioned, "Is Lee Nak-yeon's camp trying to row in the same boat as the opposition party?"

Spokesperson Hyun emphasized, "Currently, the opposition party is claiming the Daejang-dong development special favor allegations as the 'Lee Jae-myung Gate.' Is the former leader’s camp also agreeing with this?" and added, "The Lee Nak-yeon camp must stop attempts to row in the same boat as the opposition party. They should be on the same boat called the Democratic Party One Team."

Rep. Seol Hoon, who served as the election campaign headquarters chief for former Democratic Party leader and presidential candidate Lee Nak-yeon / Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, on the 15th, lawmaker Seol appeared on a radio broadcast and said, "Because he had ability, we decided to overlook moral issues and make him president, but what happened in the end? MB is in prison. Are we going to repeat this?" He also said, "I find it hard to believe that (Lee Jae-myung) will be elected, and I think he won't even make it to the election."

He expressed concern, saying, "Everyone knows the flaws Lee Jae-myung has. But the biggest problem is that his supporters are closing their eyes and ears to those flaws," and asked, "Will they be able to handle it when all of that is revealed in the general election?"

He added, "The biggest issue is the part where he cursed at his sister-in-law, and the People Power Party will broadcast this without any filtering during the general election," explaining, "If something the public has never heard before comes out on air, we will be helpless."

He also claimed, "There are various issues besides Daejang-dong, and they are coming out one by one now," and argued, "A candidate without morality cannot win in the general election."