"Start by apologizing to the public for the 120-won cost remark"
"There is no expression of 'slandered' anywhere in my post"
Kim Yongtae, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, raised his voice toward Lee Jae Myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, saying, "Start by apologizing to the public for the 120-won cost," and added, "Stop making politics any more disgraceful."
On May 21, Kim wrote on Facebook, "In reality, it is candidate Lee himself who is manipulating the facts," and added, "Nowhere in my post did I use the expression 'slander'." He argued, "They are treating me like a criminal, claiming that I am spreading false information to make him lose the election, based on words I never even said."
Kim shared a statement made by Lee during a campaign event targeting him, in which Lee said, "It seems like someone who used to be the leader of the ruling party did this. He even put it in quotation marks, saying 'slandered the self-employed.' Is this acceptable? Isn't this a clear criminal act of spreading false information to make someone lose the election?"
He criticized, "Start by apologizing to the public for the 120-won cost. Stop making politics any more disgraceful," and added, "Have you already forgotten your past, when the Supreme Court overturned your conviction for spreading false information? Do you think you can shake even the judiciary just because you have legislative power?"
Kim emphasized that the presidency is not a position for wielding power, but one that must endure criticism and scrutiny. He added, "A person who regards criticism as a crime and opposition as manipulation is not qualified for power."
Previously, Kim had criticized Lee's "coffee cost 120 won" remark, saying, "There are countless self-employed people who make a living from coffee, and they were devastated by Lee's comment that 'the cost of coffee is 120 won, but it's being sold at too high a price.'" In response, the Democratic Party announced that they would file a complaint against Kim for spreading false information, stating, "Lee never said 'coffee is being sold at too high a price.'"
Meanwhile, the "coffee cost 120 won" remark was made during Lee's campaign in Gunsan on May 16. Lee, while explaining how he persuaded merchants to eliminate illegal valley businesses during his time as Gyeonggi Province Governor, said, "Even if you work hard for an hour boiling chicken and sell it for 50,000 won, you only make 30,000 won. But when you sell a cup of coffee, you can get 8,000 to 10,000 won, even though, according to what I found out, the cost is 120 won."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
