Clash Over Lee Jae-myung's Congratulatory Speech... Ruling Party: "Convicted but Amending Election Law" vs Opposition: "Speech Written Before Sentencing"

Lee Jae-myung Expresses Opinion on Public Official Election Act Amendment in Congratulatory Speech on the 20th
People Power Party "Claims to Abolish Doping Test After Drug Use Caught"
Democratic Party "Harsh Criticism Without Knowing Timing of Written Speech Delivery"

The ruling and opposition parties are engaged in a fierce dispute over the congratulatory remarks by Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea regarding the revision of the Public Official Election Act.

On the 20th, Lee delivered a written congratulatory message at the 'Public Official Election Act Revision Forum for the Freedom of Election Campaigning' held at the National Assembly, stating, "Elections are the flower of democracy," and added, "The current Public Official Election Act excessively restricts election campaigning." He continued, "While there is a positive function in preventing the overheating of election campaigns, excessive regulation and inconsistent application of the law ('Ihyeonryeong Bihyeonryeong' style) also have the negative effect of undermining trust in politics."

He said, "As democracy develops and the consciousness of our people and social frameworks are established, it is essential to strengthen transparency and prevent illegal activities through revisions," and added, "I hope constructive alternatives will be created at the forum."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is holding a meeting with Yoon Jin-sik, chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, at the National Assembly on the 20th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

The political circles became noisy over the congratulatory remarks.

Song Young-hoon, spokesperson for the People Power Party, criticized in an oral statement, "After being convicted of violating the election law, Lee Jae-myung calls for revising the election law. I ask if this is like saying 'abolish doping tests' after drug use is revealed." He added, "Lee, who was sentenced to a heavy penalty that restricts his eligibility for election for 10 years under the Public Official Election Act for false statement offenses and shows no prospect of acquittal, is seriously concerning if he intends to overhaul the law through 'Wein Seolbeop (?人設法)' [making laws to suit oneself]."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon also criticized via social media, saying, "It is hard to believe that this message was released just six days after receiving a prison sentence for violating the election law," and added, "As it becomes harder to shield himself, it seems like an attempt to amend the election law to nullify the judicial ruling against him. This is beyond imagination."

However, the Democratic Party clarified through a notice that "the congratulatory message was a written message delivered on the 14th, before the sentencing trial." Han Min-soo, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, also criticized in a statement, "The harsh criticism was made without even confirming the timing of the written congratulatory message," and asked, "Is fabricating lies as truth a specialty of the People Power Party?" Han demanded an apology from Song, saying, "Are you so impatient that you even use the congratulatory message sent by the leader to support a reasonable revision of the Public Official Election Act as a target of attack?"

Nevertheless, Song Young-hoon stated in an additional comment, "If the true intention was not to revise the election law in a situation where eligibility for election could be lost due to the false statement offense under the Public Official Election Act, there was a full five days to withdraw or revise the written congratulatory message," and added, "Does the revision of the Public Official Election Act that the leader talks about include revising the false statement offense? Lee must answer this question directly to the people."