Gwak Sang-do: "Would I Pay Taxes and Take Bribes?
Huge Profit Scheme Is Lee Jae-myung's"
Lee Jae-myung Camp Files Complaint Against Rep. Gwak
Premarital Conflict Expected Until Details Emerge
[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] The Daejang-dong preferential treatment allegations are shaking the political world six months before the presidential election, but it is still a chaotic situation where it is unclear which party?ruling or opposition?will be disadvantaged. The strange phenomenon of the ruling and opposition parties alternately switching between offense and defense depending on the newly raised allegations is expected to continue until the police and prosecution investigations reveal the outline of the matter.
According to political circles on the 27th, the People Power Party, hit by the ‘Kwak Sang-do boomerang,’ has accepted Kwak’s resignation letter and launched ‘defensive and offensive’ actions such as protest visits to Seongnam City Hall and Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, but changing the narrative remains difficult. On the other hand, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung’s side has filed a complaint against Kwak and is focusing its firepower on a ‘counterattack,’ claiming that ‘the essence is the People Power Party’s construction gate.’
On the same day, in a phone interview with Asia Economy, Representative Kwak denied the suspicion that his son received a huge retirement payment of 5 billion won from Hwacheon Daeyu as a quid pro quo, retorting, "Have you ever seen someone receive a bribe after tax deduction?" and saying, "It is an absurd claim and not true."
Representative Kwak then said, "Basically, the company made a huge profit, so the person who worked there took the money, but the problem was that (Governor Lee) designed it that way. The one who designed the company to take enormous profits was Governor Lee," turning the blade in that direction. Regarding Governor Lee’s side’s accusation of the ‘People Power Party construction gate,’ he countered, "For that to be true, there would have to be a reasonless acceptance of money by us, but in any case, it is true that I worked for that company and did the work."
Despite Representative Kwak’s active explanations, the controversy is unlikely to subside. The opposition is trying to label this issue as ‘Lee Jae-myung’s design,’ but the actual beneficiaries of the development profits are narrowing down to opposition figures including the People Power Party, legal professionals, and existing private developers of the Daejang-dong project. Accordingly, Lee’s Open Camp filed a complaint against Representative Kwak on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act and the Information and Communications Network Act on the same day.
The Democratic Party of Korea is also putting all its efforts into this frame change. Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil cited a media report that Kim Ki-hyun, the floor leader of the People Power Party, was aware in advance of Kwak’s son receiving the ‘5 billion won retirement payment,’ and directly criticized, "Knowing the facts but asking whose Hwacheon Daeyu it is?that duplicity makes me very curious about his face." Regarding this, Floor Leader Kim did not deny that he kept silent despite prior knowledge, saying, "It is true that such a tip was received, but I judged that a thorough investigation by a special prosecutor was necessary."
The Daejang-dong development preferential treatment allegations are competing between the frames of ‘Lee Jae-myung Gate,’ ‘the second BBK,’ ‘Kwak Sang-do’s dad chance,’ and ‘People Power Party construction and legal gate.’ The future flow of the issue is expected to be largely influenced by revealing whether Seongnam city officials were involved in solicitations and misconduct, and by disclosing the average retirement payment amounts to Hwacheon Daeyu employees, including the daughter of former special prosecutor Park Young-soo.
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