Lee Jae-myung: "The house I bought for 360 million won during the IMF is now worth 2 billion won... I feel guilty for benefiting"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, appeared on YouTube's 'Alileo.'
[Photo by YouTube 'People's Living World Roh Moo-hyun Foundation' capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "The house I bought for 366 million won during the International Monetary Fund (IMF) crisis is now worth nearly 2 billion won."

On the 12th, Lee appeared on the YouTube broadcast 'Alileo' hosted by former Roh Moo-hyun Foundation director Yoo Si-min and said, "Because of the current housing prices, the whole neighborhood is in chaos," and "I feel guilty. It is because I benefited from the debt and irrational structure of this society." It was reported that Lee appeared on the show after being asked for book recommendations by the Alileo team.

On that day, Lee recommended the mid-length novel Nine Pairs of Shoes Left by a Man by writer Yoon Hong-gil and had a conversation with former director Yoo. The novel tells the story of an ordinary citizen related to the 'Gwangju Large Complex Incident' that occurred around the time the Seongnam district land development began.

Explaining the content of the novel, Lee said, "It is almost a story I actually experienced," and "The person who lived there was perhaps exactly like me and my family." He recalled his childhood in Seongnam, saying, "The process of securing a house was truly difficult in Korean society," and "When I think of a house, moving is the only thing that comes to mind."

Lee also revealed, "While attending university and studying for the bar exam, I set a life goal not to live a life driven by selfish desires." He added, "There is an aspect of choosing an excessively risky path," but "My real dream is to create a reasonable society."

Regarding the May 18 Democratic Uprising, he explained, "When I was in the class of '82 and worked in a factory from 1980 to 1981, I really thought (the Gwangju citizens) were rioters. The media reported it that way." He emphasized, "That is why I argue that the media and fake news should be punished."