The Democratic Party on Lee Jae-myung's North Korea remittance allegations: "Not a novel, but a documentary"

Lee Jae-myung on Prosecutors' Ssangbangwool North Korea Shipment Investigation
"A New Novel by the Prosecutors Has Emerged"
Ruling Party: "Lee Jae-myung's Politics Is Dictatorial Politics"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The People Power Party launched a fierce attack on the allegations of "illegal remittance to North Korea" involving Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Kim Sung-tae, former chairman of Ssangbangwool, calling it "a National Geographic documentary series, not a new novel."

Jung Jin-seok, emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, stated at the party's emergency committee meeting on the 2nd, "The dark connections between Lee and former chairman Kim are unraveling like sweet potato vines." Earlier, Lee had said at a meeting with reporters on the 31st of last month regarding the allegations, "It seems like the prosecution has come up with a new novel."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Jung continued, "Lee claims that his connection with Ssangbangwool is limited to buying Ssangbangwool underwear. Would former chairman Kim have paid $3 million of his own money for Lee’s visit to North Korea just because Lee bought underwear?" He criticized, "Lee’s politics is truly criminal dictatorship politics."

Jung also voiced sharp criticism toward the Democratic Party’s outdoor rally scheduled for the 4th. He said, "The public clearly remembers the rallies to protect Cho Kuk held by the Democratic Party since September 2019." He added, "Back then, the phrase 'Cho’s enemy is Cho' or 'Jo-jeok-jo' was popular, but watching the Democratic Party’s outdoor rally on Saturday, the public will call it 'traitor'."

Joo Ho-young, floor leader, also said, "It looks strange and quite unusual to see the overwhelming ruling party staging a sit-in." He added, "Who among the public would believe the call for a special prosecutor now, for cases that could not be prosecuted even when the prosecution was controlled and investigations were conducted recklessly during the previous administration?"

Joo further stated, "I hope the Democratic Party leadership quickly realizes that the more hardliners like the 'Cheoreomhoe' make unreasonable claims that do not comply with the law, the more public sentiment drifts away." Cheoreomhoe is a group of hardline first-term lawmakers within the Democratic Party.