Smear campaigns reach fever pitch

Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea, greets supporters while campaigning at Peace Square in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, Friday. Joint Press Corps

Lee accuses Yoon of consulting 'fortune teller'; Yoon slams Lee for using 'fascist' tactic

By Jung Da-min

With the presidential race intensifying, the two leading candidates have been engaging in smear campaigns against each other, hurling abusive words such as "fortune teller" and "fascist."

Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has attacked Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party (PPP) over allegations that Yoon has been receiving political advice from an alleged fortune-teller named Geonjin ever since serving as the prosecutor general. The man had also been an "adviser" for Covana Contents, an exhibition planning firm run by Yoon's wife Kim Keon-hee.

Lee said the people should not choose a leader of the country who would seek advice from a shaman on state affairs.

Lee also said Yoon and the PPP represent the old political force which had been kicked out by the candlelit protests that led to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in March 2017. She had been a member of the Saenuri Party, a predecessor of the PPP.

In the following presidential election two months later, President Moon Jae-in of the DPK was elected, receiving about 41 percent support, followed by Hong Joon-pyo of the Liberty Korea Party, another predecessor of the PPP, at 24 percent, and Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition conservative People's Party at 21.4 percent.

"There is a political force kicked out by those slender candles held by our citizens at the candlelit square. They are now coming back only after five years," Lee said on Thursday during a campaign event in Gwanghwamun area in central Seoul, where the candlelit protests had been held for months in 2016 and 2017.

Lee also criticized Yoon for "political retaliation" against the current ruling bloc and President Moon Jae-in, after Yoon said in an interview with local newspaper JoongAng Ilbo published Feb. 9 that he would investigate the Moon administration to find evidence of corruption or other illegal acts.

Yoon Suk-yeol, second from right, the presidential candidate of the main opposition conservative People Power Party, poses beside life-size cutouts of former President Park Chung-hee and his wife Yuk Young-soo, during his visit to the former president's birthplace home in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, Friday. Joint Press Corps

After being appointed by President Moon as the top prosecutor in July 2019, Yoon led investigations into corruption scandals involving former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye. Yoon came into conflict later with the Moon administration over its prosecutorial reform policies and often made headlines over his clash with former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae.

During the JoongAng Ilbo interview, Yoon said he will carry out similar investigations of President Moon if elected as the next president, although he will leave it to the prosecution without intervening in them.

But Yoon's remarks immediately brought strong backlash among supporters of the country's liberal bloc, who accused him of inciting supporters of the conservative bloc with wrong messages of political retaliation. President Moon also issued a message strongly condemning Yoon and demanded Yoon's apology.

While campaigning in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, Friday, Lee said: "I doubt if a leader, who does not have any knowledge about state affairs and only vows political retaliation while also creating a blacklist against artists of the liberal bloc to persecute them, will be able to overcome the complicated and serious crises the country has faced."

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Lee traveled through the southwestern region including Gwangju and the South and North Jeolla provinces, the political home ground for the liberal bloc, on Friday.

Lee Nak-yon, center, the former chairman of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a campaign event for the party's presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, right, in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, Friday. Yonhap

Lee said Yoon's pledge of political retaliation would also entail strengthening the established power of the prosecution which has often led to abuse of power.

In the meantime, Yoon has accused the Moon government and the DPK for inciting the people with fascist-like messages while pursuing their political goals such as prosecutorial reform.

While campaigning on Thursday in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, Yoon said regarding the liberal bloc's criticism against his plan to investigate the ruling bloc: "Their tactic is exactly the same as that of fascists or communists that they are trying to incite the people by attacking their opponents by creating sins to put blame on them, while concealing their own crimes."

Yoon continued his attacks against the ruling liberal bloc during stops in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the political home turf for the conservative bloc, Friday.

"I believe the people of Sangju and North Gyeongsang Province have called me, Yoon Suk-yeol, to carry out political reform and scatter the corrupt, incompetent and inhuman ruling bloc led by the DPK," Yoon said during his visit to a local market in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province.

"The DPK have claimed that they stand together with the ordinary people, workers, farmers and the poor. But during the five-year reign of the DPK, polarization in the country has increasingly deepened, with the gaps in assets and incomes widening further."

Yoon Suk-yeol, presidential candidate of the main opposition conservative People Power Party, greets supporters while campaigning in front of Gimcheon Station in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, Friday. Joint Press Corps

Yoon also accused the DPK of not embracing minority opinions, when there are many good politicians in the DPK itself.

"I believe there are many good politicians within the DPK... But the DPK leadership was too obsessed with old ideas from a few politicians who try to push ahead with their absurd ideas from within and outside the party, while persecuting other great politicians with good minds," Yoon said.

Yoon also criticized Lee and his wife Kim Hye-kyung, calling them "thieves" who have stolen the people's tax money, over allegations that Lee, when he was serving as mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province, hired a woman surnamed Bae to carry out secretarial duties for Kim in violation of government regulations.

Another official from the secretarial department at the office of the provincial government reported the allegation to the media in late January, accusing Bae, his superior in general affairs, of ordering him to run Kim's personal errands, such as purchasing meat, sushi and other foods or cooking ingredients and deliver them to Kim's home in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

In many recent opinion polls, Yoon was ahead of Lee.

In a survey of 1,007 adults conducted Feb. 15 to 17 by local pollster Gallup, 41 percent of the respondents said they support Yoon, while Lee garnered 34 percent support to rank second. Ahn of the People's Party came in third with 11 percent support and Sim Sang-jung of the minor opposition progressive Justice Party came in fourth at 4 percent.

Further details of the polls are available on the websites of the survey agency and the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.