Another Clash Over Fine Dust from China and Electricity Prices of Renewable Energy
On May 27, Lee Junseok, the presidential candidate of the Reform New Party, criticized Lee Jaemyung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, stating, "Since Lee Jaemyung entered politics, the National Assembly's authority has repeatedly been exercised unilaterally without bipartisan agreement," accusing him of breaking the rules of the National Assembly. In response, Lee Jaemyung countered that Lee Junseok's remarks were a one-sided assertion and deviated from objective facts.
During the third televised debate for the 21st presidential election, held at MBC in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the same day, candidate Lee Junseok pointed out to Lee Jaemyung, "The entire state of emergency was the fault of former President Yoon Sukyeol, but the National Assembly should consider whether there is anything to amend while respecting the Constitutional Court's opinion."
On April 4, the Constitutional Court, during the ruling on the impeachment trial of former President Yoon Sukyeol, stated, "The National Assembly should act for the benefit of the entire people, not for partisan interests. In this regard, it should have respected minority opinions and strived to reach conclusions through dialogue and compromise with the government, based on tolerance and restraint."
Lee Junseok said, "When revising the election law, the National Assembly Act, or the judicial system, bipartisan agreement is necessary. These are the rules of the game. Since entering politics, there have been many unilateral decisions. There have been unilateral decisions on matters that could affect your own trials and investigations," adding, "This breaks the principles that the National Assembly has upheld for decades. Why does this happen so frequently?"
In response, Lee Jaemyung said, "That is a one-sided assertion. It deviates from objective facts," and once again brought up issues discussed in the second debate held on the 23rd, such as the impact of fine dust from China on Japan and the cost of electricity from renewable energy sources.
He stated, "During the last debate, Lee Junseok claimed that only 2% of fine dust from China affects Japan. There are official statistics showing it is 24%. If you argue with incorrect data, a debate is impossible," and added, "Also, other renewable energies are cheaper than nuclear power." He continued, "Are there many laws that have been passed unilaterally? There are actually more cases of vetoes being exercised."
Lee Junseok reiterated his criticism, saying, "I pointed out that unilateral passage of bills, and changes to the election law, the National Assembly Act, and the judicial system violate the principle of bipartisan agreement in the National Assembly. If you answer by citing Yoon Sukyeol, you are no different."
When Lee Junseok further asked, "Are you saying the electricity unit price for offshore wind power in the southwest coast is not 300 won?" Lee Jaemyung replied, "Although economies of scale have not yet been established, as scale increases and large-scale generation is achieved, the unit price will trend downward. While the predicted average unit price varies each year, in my view, based on European standards, it could be as low as 50 to 70 won."
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