Lee Jae-myung sheds tears in hometown Seongnam... "Please stop reopening my family's wounds"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, his political hometown, on the 24th and shed tears while recalling his past, including his family history. Regarding the ‘swearing controversy,’ Lee also appealed, “Please stop digging into the painful wounds of my family.”

On that day, Lee visited Sangdaewon Market in Jungwon-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, in the afternoon and recalled his childhood, saying, “This is the very place where Lee Jae-myung and his family made a living. On the dawn of February 23, 1976, when sleet was falling, I got off at the terminal Dandaeogeori, carried my luggage, and walked up here to the rented house where we lived.”

He said, “My father worked as a cleaning laborer at this market, and my mother guarded the public restroom in the market with my younger sister, charging 10 won for urination and 20 won for defecation,” adding, “Even now, many people live with great difficulty. What the government should do is to give courage to those who are struggling and in hardship, provide jobs to those without work, and offer business opportunities to those whose businesses are not doing well. That is politics.”

He continued, “I worked hard and tried to live cleanly, and that’s why I have come this far, but there are too many wounds,” and choked up.

Regarding the ‘swearing controversy,’ he revealed, “After I became the mayor of Seongnam, people who hated me started attacking me by involving my family. They tempted and worked on my mentally unstable brother, promising to make him the chairman of the city council if he drove me out, and my older brother began attacking me.”

Lee said, “So I blocked all calls from public officials so I couldn’t even answer them. When I told them not to engage, they threatened my mother, saying they would burn down the house and the church, so my mother called me. That was the beginning,” adding, “My mother couldn’t enter the house and moved between my daughter’s house in Bundang and our home.”

He added, “My wife went to see her at the hospital and suggested a checkup, but my mother told a horrific story about what was done to her,” and explained the situation, saying, “My mother is like heaven to me. So I got angry and called, asking how a child could do that to a parent, but they mocked me, saying I couldn’t even understand such philosophical expressions.” His eyes reddened as he recalled his mother.

Lee said, “That’s why I swore. It was wrong to swear. As a public official, I should not have sworn and should have endured to the end,” and apologized repeatedly, saying, “I lack character. But my mother has now passed away. My older brother has also passed away. Such things will never happen again. I was wrong.”

He then showed tears, saying, “I hope these painful wounds of my family will no longer be dug into because of these issues.”

He said, “If family members are involved in public duties, that is nepotism and interference in administration. It is something that should never be done. The incident happened while trying to prevent that,” and explained, “I was troubled when my older brother said he would reveal recordings if I didn’t listen to his intention to intervene in administration. In conclusion, even if I am disgraced later and suffer from these recordings for life, I thought my brother should not interfere in public affairs. That has been circulating for over ten years and still pressures me now. I was wrong.”

Lee appealed, “Even if you criticize me for my abusive language, please at least acknowledge that I tried to perform fair administration to prevent my brothers from interfering in it,” and added, “The breath of my father and mother still remains here. For my family, my brothers, and the many people who worked together in the factory, I will work dozens of times harder than now.”