Yoon Seok-yeol: "If Lee Jae-myung Comes to Power, It Will Be a World of Organized Crime... Just Thinking About It Is Horrifying"

"There Has Never Been a Candidate with as Many Gangster Controversies as Candidate Lee Jae-myung"

Yoon Seok-yeol, the preliminary presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is speaking at the 'Gyeongnam Election Committee Appointment Ceremony' held at the Gyeongnam Provincial Party Office in Uichang-gu, Changwon, on the afternoon of the 19th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Yoon Seok-yeol, former Prosecutor General and presidential candidate of the People Power Party, criticized Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, on the 19th, saying, "There has never been a candidate in our country's political history who has shown 'jopok friendly' like Candidate Lee."

On the same day, Yoon posted on his Facebook under the title "A country where gangsters run wild relying on the president's backing is terrifying just to think about," stating, "What would happen if Candidate Lee came to power? Wouldn't a world come where organized crime groups run wild relying on the president's backing and the Blue House's backing? Just thinking about it is terrifying."

He pointed out, "Yesterday, during the National Assembly's Gyeonggi Province audit, allegations related to Candidate Lee's ties to gangsters were exposed," adding, "If the exposed content is true, it is a very serious problem because it means a public official is an 'interest community' with organized crime groups."

Yoon also said, "Kim, who worked as Candidate Lee's personal secretary for eight years, was involved in a group assault case by organized crime members and was convicted. Lee's side explained that he was only present at the scene and did not commit the assault, which is quite absurd," and criticized, "It's similar to saying, 'I drank alcohol, but I did not drive drunk.'"

He continued, "There has never been a candidate with as many controversies related to gangsters as Candidate Lee. It's as if a ghost called 'gangsters' haunts Candidate Lee's surroundings," emphasizing, "What is the truth? Why are there so many people related to gangsters around Candidate Lee? As a presidential candidate of a public party, he must sincerely explain all the various gangster-related allegations."

He added, "However, Candidate Lee just laughs 'hehehe' without a clear explanation of the facts," sharpening his tone, "He tries to deny and brush off the allegations by using small mistakes made during the exposure process as an excuse, but that should not be allowed."

Furthermore, he raised his voice, saying, "I will definitely remove the shadow of gangsters lurking around Candidate Lee during the election process," and "I will put an end to Candidate Lee's gangster-friendly politics."

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, is responding to the final question during the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee's audit of Gyeonggi Province held at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of the 18th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Earlier, Kim Yong-pan, a member of the People Power Party, mentioned Candidate Lee's 'gangster involvement' during the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee audit targeting Gyeonggi Province on the 18th, stating, "Park Cheol-min, a member of the International Mafia faction's action squad and a former employee of Komatrade, currently imprisoned in Suwon Detention Center, has submitted a 17-page statement, fact verification document, and whistleblower report."

In the fact verification document, Park claimed, "I was a core action squad leader of the International Mafia faction for about 12 years," and "Candidate Lee had collusive relations with senior members of the International Mafia faction even before 2007 and since his lawyer days."

In response, Candidate Lee repeatedly gave a hollow laugh and denied the related allegations. He said, "If I had done such things, I would have been punished long ago and would not be able to be here now." He added, "This is why parliamentary immunity should be limited," criticizing, "Presenting clearly false facts to damage reputation and unfairly influence elections is a clear violation of the Public Official Election Act."