Lee Junseok: "Never Received 'Roh Moo-hyun Scholarship'... Was a Government Scholar During Roh Administration"

Lee Junseok, the presidential candidate of the Reform New Party, stated on May 26, "During the late President Roh Moo-hyun's administration, I received a scholarship certificate from President Roh as part of a government scholarship program, but I have never received the 'Roh Moo-hyun Scholarship' from the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation."

On the morning of the same day, Lee wrote on Facebook, "After I mentioned receiving a scholarship certificate from the late President Roh, there are people spreading claims that I first said I never received the 'Roh Moo-hyun Scholarship' but then admitted to receiving it. That is not true."

Lee explained, "Becoming a 'Presidential Science Scholar,' a government-funded scholarship recipient during President Roh's term, is completely different from receiving the 'Roh Moo-hyun Scholarship' from the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, which was established after his passing."

He reiterated that he has never received the Roh Moo-hyun Scholarship from the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation.

Reform New Party presidential candidate Lee Junseok is speaking before starting a campaign on Seosunra-gil near Jongmyo, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 25th. /Photo by Yonhap News

Lee said, "Just as we do not call someone who studied abroad on a government scholarship during former President Chun Doohwan's administration a 'Chun Doohwan Scholar,' this distinction should be obvious. In fact, if I were to claim that I received the 'Roh Moo-hyun Scholarship,' it would likely constitute the dissemination of false information."

He continued, "Some are deliberately conflating these two scholarships, and a certain media outlet is publishing articles accusing me of changing my statements to defame me as a candidate. If a correction is not published by this morning, I plan to take action."

Previously, on May 23, the 16th anniversary of the late President Roh's passing, Lee visited Bongha Village in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, and recalled, "When I went to study in the United States in 2003, President Roh personally handed me the scholarship certificate and told me, 'Study hard, and someday you must do great things and contribute to the country.' I still remember those words."