'Daejang-dong Allegations' Tensions... Lee Nak-yeon "What Measures Were Taken?" vs Lee Jae-myung "Are You Interrogating?"

Lee Nak-yeon on Daejang-dong Allegations: "How About a Joint Investigation?"
Lee Jae-myung: "Hope the Details Are Clearly Revealed"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential primary candidate (left), is preparing for the broadcast at the "Democratic Party of Korea 20th Presidential Candidate TV Debate" held on the 28th at SBS Mokdong, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Democratic Party presidential candidates Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, and former leader Lee Nak-yeon sharply clashed over the preferential development allegations related to the Daejang-dong project in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province during a TV debate on the 28th. Former leader Lee aggressively questioned Governor Lee, who was the mayor of Seongnam at the time of the project, asking "What measures did you take?" to which Governor Lee retorted, "What could I have done?"

At the Democratic Party presidential candidate TV debate hosted by SBS that day, former leader Lee said, "About 30% of the public agree with the party's stance on the Daejang-dong issue, while about twice as many do not," adding, "It's not about where they agree, but about addressing the concerns of those who are suspicious, which I believe is necessary for the regime's reestablishment."

He then asked Governor Lee, "You said you learned about the People's Power gate and construction corruption from the KBS news on September 17th. After that, did you verify or take any measures?"

In response, Governor Lee said, "From my perspective, I designed how much Seongnam City would receive, whether it would be fixed in advance, and how to guarantee it to secure Seongnam City's maximum benefit. A bank consortium came in, so I couldn't know about internal profit distribution or investment shares," adding, "According to the Capital Market Promotion Act, such information cannot be disclosed, and even if asked, it wouldn't be revealed. I first learned about it from the KBS report," denying involvement in the preferential development allegations.

Lee Nak-yeon, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential primary candidate (right), is preparing for the broadcast at the 'Democratic Party of Korea 20th Presidential Candidate TV Debate' held at SBS Mokdong, Seoul on the 28th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former leader Lee pressed, "So what measures did you take after knowing that?" to which Governor Lee emphasized, "What could I have done? I was not the mayor of Seongnam nor in a position to command the Land Corporation."

When former leader Lee asked again, "In other words, you did nothing, right?" Governor Lee countered, "It's not that I didn't do anything, but that I couldn't do anything," and challenged, "If you were the candidate, what would you have done? Please teach me what could have been done."

Additionally, former leader Lee said, "I believe a swift investigation is necessary for the party and the regime's reestablishment," and asked, "I requested that the Joint Investigation Headquarters (government joint investigation team) be formed for a systematic and comprehensive investigation. What is your opinion on this?"

Governor Lee replied, "Of course, I think it would be good to quickly verify and clearly reveal the facts." He continued, "At that time, I was surrounded by the MB administration and the Park Geun-hye administration and even went on a hunger strike in Gwanghwamun," and when former leader Lee tried to interrupt, he expressed dissatisfaction saying, "Please give me some time to answer. This is not a police interrogation, so please don't do it like that..."