Political Circles Clash Over Lee Jae-myung's National Assembly Audit Without a 'Big Move'
[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok and Jeon Jin-young] The National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee’s inspection of Gyeonggi Province, concerning the ‘Daejang-dong development scandal’ involving Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate and governor of Gyeonggi Province, has degenerated into a ‘meaningless’ session, sparking fierce blame-shifting between the ruling and opposition parties. While the Democratic Party mocked the opposition’s inadequate verification, the People Power Party criticized the hearing for being conducted with bias.
On the 19th, the Democratic Party self-assessed that the previous day’s hearing was an opportunity to dispel suspicions against candidate Lee. However, they announced a tough stance against Kim Yong-pan of the People Power Party, who raised the ‘gangster involvement theory,’ demanding his referral to the National Assembly Ethics Committee and resignation. Floor leader Yoon Ho-jung criticized, during the morning’s hearing strategy meeting, “We saw the bottom and true nature of the People Power Party.” Yoon pointed out, “They hid behind parliamentary immunity to carry out a ‘revelation hearing’ and turned it into a ‘meaningless hearing’ with pointless questions. In particular, the gangster involvement theory raised by Representative Kim is a clear falsehood.” Regarding the bundle of cash photos Kim revealed at the hearing, Yoon said, “The source of the cash bundle is unknown, and it was a bluff shot posted by the gangster claiming it was money he earned.”
The Democratic Party plans to file a complaint against Representative Kim with the Ethics Committee, which reviews the qualifications of lawmakers. Floor spokesperson Han Jun-ho told reporters, “We believe (Representative Kim) is unfit to be a member of the National Assembly and will file a complaint with the Ethics Committee to demand his resignation.”
On the 18th, during the Gyeonggi Province government audit by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, the ruling party presented a photo of a bundle of cash as evidence of alleged gang involvement linked to Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate who appeared in his capacity as governor of Gyeonggi Province. The ruling party claimed the photo was fake and provided related circumstances. Democratic Party lawmaker Han Byung-do displayed a post on Facebook, presumed to be by a person named Park, dated November 21, 2018, on a PPT slide, stating, "This person who is called a gangster posted that he made money through private loans, earning money through rental cars and private loans." The photo in question was identical to the one unveiled by lawmaker Kim Yong-pan as a bundle of cash. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The People Power Party, confident of a showdown, raised issues about the tilted playing field. After the hearing strategy meeting, floor leader Kim Ki-hyun told reporters, “Because witnesses and reference persons were completely blocked from being adopted from the start, we faced a very limited situation during the hearing. The chairperson of the Public Administration and Security Committee, Seo Young-kyo of the Democratic Party, conducted the session very biasedly and unilaterally,” adding, “She allowed unlimited speaking time to the heads of the inspected agencies, fostering a stage for them to spout sophistry.” Meanwhile, Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, criticized via social media, “The main opposition party suffered the humiliation of being labeled the ‘People Power Party Gate’ by candidate Lee, exposing only incompetence and immorality more blatantly.”
There was also internal criticism that if there was no knockout blow, a barrage of rapid-fire questions should have followed. Former Jeju Province Governor and People Power Party presidential candidate Won Hee-ryong appeared on a radio show and said, “(Watching the hearing) I was heartbroken,” and criticized, “Why aren’t People Power Party lawmakers asking questions?” He lamented, “Yesterday, there were eight People Power Party lawmakers at the Public Administration and Security Committee hearing. If each had asked just 10 questions, that would have been 80 questions. No matter how much of a genius you are, if you lie, the pieces must fit together. If we ask again two days later (at the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee hearing) and attack outside the chamber, gaps will be created and it will collapse.”
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