Lee Jae-myung attacks rival Yoon for possible involvement in Daejang-dong scandal

Presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea attacked his main rival Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party for his possible involvement in the Daejang-dong development scandal during the presidential TV debate Monday.

The ruling party candidate held up a sign showing excerpts of a conversation between Kim Man-be, owner of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, and Jeong Young-hak, a public accountant and a stakeholder in the development project, that hinted Yoon’s possible involvement in the scandal.

A transcript of the conversation was obtained by the Democratic Party from an unknown source, hinting that Yoon could be in trouble if warrants are issued in regards to the ongoing investigation into the scandal.

The sign showed Kim saying, "Yoon will die if a warrant is issued on Yoon Suk-yeol." Kim reportedly said in the conversation that Yoon told him to be careful about his involvement in the project.

Lee’s attack was a response to Yoon’s attack on Lee for possible misuse of a corporate card during Lee’s years as the governor of Gyeonggi Province.

The ruling party candidate’s move is also seen as a way to fight off suspicions that he was the mastermind behind the controversial land development project conducted while he served as mayor of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, before advancing to the gubernatorial post.

The Democratic Party argued that the conversation also showed that Lee is not involved in the controversy as one of the lines in the transcript shows Kim arguing that he has not offered any financial reward to Lee for the project.

The transcript in question has not been checked in terms of truthfulness. The People Power Party has argued that all arguments made from the "dubious" transcript are false.

By Ko Jun-tae (ko.juntae@heraldcorp.com)