Lee Jae-myung: "Distorted by Minor and Peripheral Figures in the Opposition... Will Fully Explain the Essence and Core"

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] On the 18th, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, said to reporters immediately after the morning National Assembly inspection by the Administrative and Security Committee, "They distort the issue by focusing on trivial details, so I will fully explain the essence and the core."

He said, "The national inspection is conducted on behalf of the people, and it is right to answer sincerely as a representative elected by the people." He also clearly stated that the essence and core of the Daejang-dong preferential treatment allegations lie with the People Power Party. He said, "The essence is clear: the People Power Party forced private development and failed, so a public-private joint development was inevitable. We additionally recovered more than 70% of the development profits, so the real culprits who divided the profits are clear."

However, he added, "I fully sympathize with the criticism that not all profits were recovered, and I deeply feel responsible as a politician, but it is embarrassing when people ask why those who blocked the recovery failed to do so."

During the morning inspection, when he was accused by Kim Do-eup, a member of the People Power Party, of being the main culprit related to the Daejang-dong development preferential treatment allegations, he said, "There is a simple principle in the world: the person who possesses stolen goods is the thief." The candidate emphasized, "What is clear is that the People Power Party, formerly the Saenuri Party, prevented public development through party consensus and forced private development," and added, "The private developers who took the development profits shared monetary benefits in some form with members of the People Power Party or prosecutors-turned-lawyers close to the People Power Party recommended by the party."