PPP: "The Reality of Turtle Island is a Microcosm of Lee Jaemyung's Politics"
Lee Junseok: "Lee Jaemyung Should Have Understood the Situation Before Campaigning"
Democratic Party: "Turtle Island Was Designated a National Marina Port During Park Geunhye's Administration"
On May 25, the People Power Party and Lee Junseok, the presidential candidate of the Reform New Party, criticized Lee Jaemyung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, over the artificial surfing park Wave Park located on Turtle Island in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, which was developed during Lee Jaemyung's tenure as governor. They described it as "incompetence and irresponsibility" and a "colossal failure." In response, the Democratic Party countered by stating, "The Turtle Island project was designated as a national marina port in 2015."
Park Sunghoon, spokesperson for the election committee, stated in a commentary that "the problem is not simply an administrative failure, but rather Lee Jaemyung's shamelessness in packaging the failed outcome as an achievement instead of reflecting on it." He added, "This is an act that inflicts further pain on self-employed people who have been forced to close their businesses, driving another nail into their hearts."
Earlier that day, Lee Jaemyung, during a campaign rally in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, said, "Together with the mayor of Siheung, I persuaded companies to come to Turtle Island in Gyeonggi Province, and we expedited the licensing and construction so that it was completed in only two years. That is how it was finished." He continued, "Lee Jaemyung's Gyeonggi Province and the Democratic Party's Siheung City quickly attracted a large company. I am proud of that achievement."
Na Kyungwon, co-chair of the People Power Party's election committee, told reporters at the National Assembly, "The only beneficiaries were the land buyers, while the number of victims is enormous, to the extent that a mother and daughter committed suicide." She argued, "If he boasted about it knowingly, it is shamelessness; if he did so unknowingly, it is a clear display of incompetence and irresponsibility."
Joo Jinwoo, co-head of the People Power Party's negative campaign committee, also criticized Lee Jaemyung on Facebook, saying, "This is as out of touch with economic reality as his infamous remark that a cup of coffee costs only 120 won." He added, "This is a colossal failure of Lee Jaemyung's administration. The ordinary people who bought the land are shedding tears of blood."
Lee Junseok also strongly criticized Lee Jaemyung. He stated, "If Lee Jaemyung had even a little interest in Siheung, he should have assessed the situation on the ground before taking the stage at the rally." He pointed out, "Politics is not about boasting once about an achievement and moving on; it requires continuous attention and efforts to solve problems even afterwards."
He continued, "As the National Assembly member for Dongtan, I have been continuously concerned about this issue," emphasizing, "The problem of oversupply of commercial real estate is very serious not only in Siheung but throughout southern Gyeonggi Province."
In response, Cho Seungrae, chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party's election committee, said, "The Turtle Island project was designated as a national marina port in 2015, during the time when President Park Geunhye of the Saenuri Party and Governor Nam Kyungpil were in charge of Gyeonggi Province." He rebutted, "It is absurd political offensive to claim that Lee Jaemyung, who was elected governor in 2018, created Turtle Island in Sihwa Lake and designated it as a marina port."
Chief spokesperson Cho stated, "We will hold those who have undermined the efforts of Siheung citizens to rebuild Turtle Island strictly accountable," and emphasized, "We will file a complaint against Lee Junseok for spreading false information with the intent of influencing the election outcome."
The Democratic Party's election committee's Public Election Law Support Team and the Fake News Response Team announced that Joo Jinwoo, Park Sunghoon, and Na Kyungwon of the People Power Party would also be included as targets of the complaint.
The Democratic Party side stated, "Lee Jaemyung attracted Wave Park to Turtle Island to address the lack of tourist attractions, and that is what he mentioned during the campaign." They added, "The transcript of Lee Jaemyung's campaign remarks was publicly posted on the Democratic Party's website around 6:00 p.m. on May 24."
They went on to say, "Nevertheless, these individuals, as presidential candidates or members of the National Assembly from major parties, failed to verify even the most basic facts and specified false information. This constitutes the public dissemination of false information with the intent to prevent Lee Jaemyung from being elected."
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