Incheon mayoral candidates from ruling and opposition parties clash over 'hidden virtual assets' and 'Daejang-dong' in TV debate

Incheon mayoral candidates from ruling and opposition parties clash over 'hidden virtual assets' and 'Daejang-dong' in TV debate

Park Chan-dae: "Yoo's own legal risks"... Yoo Jeong-bok: "Regret over Park's political maneuvering"

As the June 3 Incheon mayoral election approaches in one week, candidates from both the ruling and opposition parties engaged in a sharp dispute during a TV debate, targeting each other's morality and qualifications.

In the TV debate held on the night of the 26th, Democratic Party candidate Park Chan-dae claimed, "It was revealed through media reports that People Power Party candidate Yoo Jeong-bok spoke with an overseas coin manager on December 4, 2024, the day after martial law was declared."

Candidate Park intensified his offensive, stating, "According to the reported voice recording, candidate Yoo personally checked how many coins were under his spouse's name and where they were stored at the time," adding, "The suspicion of omitted virtual asset declaration has now become candidate Yoo's own legal risk."

In response, candidate Yoo retorted, "I don't know if candidate Park is trying to hide his ignorance and incompetence, but it is regrettable that he continues with black propaganda and political maneuvering regarding an issue that has already been clarified with clear evidence, such as fund transfer details (for coin purchase)."

He then counterattacked, saying, "Candidate Park doesn't know much about Incheon and is indifferent, so almost all the pledges he announced are plagiarized from what I am doing," and "Even then, he plagiarized them poorly, so there are many errors."

The two candidates also debated whether to introduce the development method of the Daejang-dong project in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, to Incheon.

Candidate Yoo pressed, "The Daejang-dong method, which is the biggest corruption project since Dangun, should not be applied to Incheon," calling it "a problematic policy where most of the development profits go to specific contractors."

In response, candidate Park countered, "Incheon has many development tasks that require massive investment, such as inner harbor redevelopment and old downtown regeneration," and "These projects are impossible without private capital."

Candidate Park had previously stated on his Facebook, "If it is a large-scale development project where companies can gain legitimate profits and generate hundreds of billions of won in excess profits that can be returned to residents, I will do it without hesitation. I will make Incheon into a Daejang-dong."

Incheon mayoral candidates participating in the debate unanimously expressed their opposition to the integration of Incheon International Airport Corporation and the relocation of public institutions located in Incheon to other regions.

Candidate Park said, "I understand that the government's position is that the integration of Incheon International Airport Corporation has not been specifically discussed," and "The Lee Jae-myung administration would not pursue policies that negatively impact Incheon and national competitiveness."

He added, "In the case of public institution relocation, Incheon should rather attract more public institutions," and "I am the right person to persuade the central government and the presidential office."

Candidate Yoo said, "Attempts to take away Incheon's interests, such as the integration of Incheon International Airport Corporation and the relocation of public institutions to local areas, continue," and "This is unacceptable and should naturally be opposed."

He then said, "Candidate Park initially claimed these were 'unfounded suspicions' but recently changed his stance to opposition," and "I will believe it if President Lee Jae-myung says he will absolutely not (integrate and relocate)."

Lee Ki-bung, a candidate from the Reform Party, argued, "The issue of public institution integration and relocation should not be approached with political logic or regional conflict," and "The global airport competitiveness and the impact on Incheon's economy must be comprehensively reviewed."