Lee Jae-myung: "I Have Never Taken Revenge in My Life... I Will Prove It as President"
"However, Integration and Reconciliation Are Different... Those Responsible for the Insurrection Must Be Held Accountable"
Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party preliminary candidate who declared his candidacy for the June 3 presidential election, promised that he would not engage in political retaliation if elected president, responding to concerns about "political revenge" raised by some in the conservative camp by saying, "I have never taken revenge on anyone who troubled me in my life."
On the 15th, the candidate made these remarks during a discussion with writer Yoo Si-min and scholar Kim Yong-ok (Do-ol) on the YouTube channel 'People Living in the World Roh Moo-hyun Foundation.' This was in response to Yoo's comment, "'If Lee Jae-myung becomes president, won't he stop prosecutorial reform, appoint a prosecutor general who listens to him, and come wielding a knife to kill everyone?'"
Lee Jae-myung, preliminary presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea. YouTube channel 'Saram Saneun Sesang Roh Moo-hyun Foundation'
In reply, the candidate smiled and said, "Because they did it themselves," "When I was the mayor of Seongnam or governor of Gyeonggi Province, I never harmed or drove anyone away. No matter how much I say this, they call it a lie, so I have given up trying to persuade them. I will show it when I become president," he added. He continued, "Retaliation is tiring and painful. It is a waste of energy and precious time during the short five-year presidential term to chase after revenge." He also stated, "I feel happy when I see people happy because of something I did," indicating his intention to focus on policy achievements rather than revenge.
However, he clearly emphasized the need for punishment regarding the 'insurrection incident.' He said, "Integration and reconciliation are different. The truth must be uncovered, and those responsible must be held accountable," adding, "If you say, 'It’s fine if the coup succeeds, and even if it fails, you survive,' coups would happen once every six months." He also stressed, "We must devise perfect countermeasures to prevent events that put the nation in crisis from happening again."
Earlier, on the 10th, Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, targeted Lee Jae-myung, saying, "If he completely seizes state power, it is obvious that he will cruelly wield the sword of arbitrariness and revenge, driving South Korea into the abyss of division and civil war." Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, who also declared his presidential candidacy, claimed in an interview with Yonhap News on the 15th, "If the Lee Jae-myung regime comes in, it will carry out revenge surpassing that of former President Moon Jae-in."
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate selection, which will be a three-way race among Lee Jae-myung, Kim Dong-yeon, and Kim Kyung-soo, will begin with the Chungcheong region primary on the 19th, followed by primaries in Yeongnam, Honam, the metropolitan area, and Gangwon-Jeju. The final candidate will be confirmed on the 27th by combining the results of these primaries with a general public opinion poll.
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