Lee Nak-yeon "When did you find out about the People Power Party gate... An unprecedented get-rich-quick scandal"
Lee Jae-myung "If even 1 won of unfair profit was taken, the candidate should resign and also quit public office"
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] On the 19th, the Democratic Party presidential candidates engaged in fierce exchanges regarding the allegations surrounding the Daejang-dong development project, which Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung promoted during his time as mayor of Seongnam, at the Honam region TV debate. The candidate who took the most active stance on the so-called 'Hwacheon Daeyu' controversy was former party leader Lee Nak-yeon.
At the Democratic Party presidential primary debate hosted by Gwangju MBC that afternoon, former leader Lee asked Governor Lee, "The fact that a small number of private developers made 1,100 times the profit is not acceptable to the public," adding, "You said you designed it yourself, so was the fact that a few private developers earned 1,100 times the profit a design flaw, or was it included in the design?"
In response to Governor Lee's rebuttal calling it an "opposition party gate," Lee Nak-yeon asked, "When did you find out about the People Power Party gate?" He continued, "You urged the prosecution and police to investigate and even volunteered for an investigation yourself, but judging from the atmosphere in Gyeonggi Province and the party, it seems you are passive about witness appearances and submitting materials. Isn't this contrary to your thoughts?" He then pointed out, "If you feel so wronged, it would be better for you to clear it up quickly."
Former leader Lee also strongly attacked, saying, "Governor Lee emphasized fair economy and vowed to eradicate unearned income from real estate, but the results seem contradictory, so you must be very surprised and angry," adding, "This can be seen as an unprecedented get-rich-quick case."
Governor Lee said, "This project was originally a public development, but the People Power Party and construction capitalists who purchased the Daejang-dong land gave up on public development and switched to private development. After I was elected mayor of Seongnam, there was tremendous resistance and backlash when switching back to public development," adding, "We competed private developers and selected the one offering the best conditions to proceed with the project, recovering 550 billion won. Please see this as a successful policy."
On the same day, Representative Park Yong-jin also criticized Governor Lee, saying, "Hwacheon Daeyu made a huge profit while the public bore the burden. As the then policy manager and mayor of Seongnam, do you have no intention to apologize?"
In response, Governor Lee said, "If even one won of unfair profit was taken, I will resign from the candidacy and public office."
Former Minister Chu Mi-ae showed support for Governor Lee but took a confrontational stance against former leader Lee Nak-yeon.
Former Minister Chu criticized Lee Nak-yeon, saying, "It is not the opposition party or the media, but former leader Lee who is trying to turn this into a personal corruption issue of candidate Lee," adding, "Why direct the arrows of anger at our party candidate?"
In her final remarks, she indirectly criticized Lee Nak-yeon, saying, "Acting as if your political career ends if you don't get support from Gwangju is something the people of Gwangju cannot understand," adding, "Holding regionalism hostage is undesirable," and "Baseless appeals will not be heeded here. Honam will create the future trend," appealing for support for herself.
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