Lee Jae-myung Targets Remand: "You Can Be Killed Legally, Too"

"Yuk Young-soo Passed Away for Political Reasons... Such Attempts Still Happen Today"
"The World of Hatred and Confrontation Must Change... I Have Never Abused or Harassed the Other Side"
"I Thought I Was Competing Against the PPP Candidate, but It's a Fight Against Massive Vested Interests"... Indirect Criticism of the Judiciary

On May 6, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, referred to the assassination of Yuk Young-soo, wife of former President Park Chung-hee, and said, "I don't know the exact reason, but it seems that she died due to inter-Korean issues, political conflict, or other political reasons," adding, "Unfortunately, there are still such attempts even today."

Yonhap News Agency

That afternoon, during a speech in front of a traditional market in Okcheon County, North Chungcheong Province, Lee said, "This is the hometown of Yuk Young-soo. Looking back to my childhood, she left a very good impression on me, but she was killed by Moon Se-gwang," making these remarks.

Lee continued, "If you look at the history of the Republic of Korea, there have been quite a few cases where someone was killed for political reasons," and added, "I hope we can move away from a world where people kill, hate, resent, and antagonize each other for political reasons."

These comments appear to be made with the recent Supreme Court decision in mind, which remanded his Public Official Election Act case for a guilty verdict.

Earlier that morning, during a visit to a traditional market in Jeungpyeong County, North Chungcheong Province, Lee also mentioned, "Jo Bong-am was judicially murdered, and former President Kim Dae-jung was sentenced to death for conspiracy to revolt, even though he did nothing."

Additionally, Lee said, "Someone grabbed me and said, 'Please don't die.' There are two meanings to this. First, there is the physical risk of death. In the past, I survived an attack by just 1mm," and added, "But beyond that, isn't it also possible to be killed legally?"

In a Facebook post that day, Lee also wrote, "I thought this presidential election was a competition with the People Power Party candidate, but the PPP candidate is nowhere to be found, and I am instead fighting against the massive vested interests in Korea. Whoever they are, I will win together with the people," indirectly targeting the judiciary.

Lee also continued his criticism of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. He said, "Some politicians think, 'I have to kill others and take everything for myself.' They talk about gathering 500, 1,000, 5,000, or even 10,000 people, taking them out to the sea near Yeonpyeong Island, blowing up the ship, killing everyone, and bringing in experts to confirm the kills," and added, "This is not something to laugh about; it actually happened. Has the rebellion really ended?"

Lee said, "What should we do if the workers to whom we entrusted power harm us?" and added, "We must definitely teach them a lesson," appealing for support for the Democratic Party in the presidential election.

Nevertheless, Lee also emphasized the importance of unity. In his speech in Okcheon, he said, "Why should there be such division among people living in this country? People may have different opinions. I may like red, you may like blue, and when mixed, it could be purple. We can be different," and continued, "But we shouldn't say, 'I am right and you are wrong,' just because of those differences." He added, "We all have one nose, one mouth, and two ears, though sometimes people are different. There is no need to exclude anyone just because they look different."

Lee said, "People suspect that I might take sides, but when I was mayor of Seongnam or governor of Gyeonggi Province, I never divided people into sides, harassed, abused, or disadvantaged the other side. Even in Seongnam, conservative groups joined forces to help Seongnam prosper," he claimed.

He continued, "It's the same for the country. Life is already hard enough, so why divide into sides, try to kill those on the other side, or give special favors to those on your own side?"

During his schedule, Lee also expressed his frustration regarding the prosecution's investigation into him. He said, "Some lawmakers genuinely believe, 'Would Lee Jae-myung really approve a project worth billions and not take any money? Did he really not take even 50 won?'" and added, "They have investigated me for such a long time, and they've dug so much that it hurts me to death."