Lee Jae-myung expresses concern about being summoned by the prosecution while refusing a gift
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, drew attention when he hesitated and made a significant remark after a supporter offered him a gift during his campaign event.
On the 6th, while visiting Boeun-gun in North Chungcheong Province, a 50-year-old female supporter handed him a box of jujube juice, but he flinched and waved his hands in refusal.
He said, “I’m worried I might get punished again. I can’t receive gifts worth more than 30,000 won, right? They say I might end up being summoned by the prosecution again. I’ll end up serving five years in prison."
A camp official also intervened, returning the gift and said, “This could really lead to a big problem. I’ll sincerely accept your intentions,” bowing his head. However, when the supporter expressed disappointment, saying, “I stood here for hours just to give you this,” he eventually accepted a single pack of individually wrapped jujube juice.
Opening it on the spot and drinking, he joked, “You wouldn’t send me to serve five years just for receiving this, would you?” which made the crowd laugh.
During his visit to the traditional market in Yeongdong, he joked at a rice cake shop, “If I give you rice cakes, the prosecution might charge it as a donation and I’d end up serving three years in prison. You should buy them directly.”
Expressing dissatisfaction with the prosecution's investigation while mentioning “judicial murder”
In a speech in front of a flower farm in Boeun, he remarked, “Today, someone stopped me and said, ‘Please don’t die,’ which could have two meanings. There’s a physical kind of death, but legally, they can also kill you.” He emphasized, “I will definitely survive.”
At the traditional market in Jeungpyeong, he noted, “Jo Bong-am was a victim of judicial murder, and former President Kim Dae-jung was sentenced to death as well. I will surely survive and create a new country.”
In the Yeongdong traditional market, he stated, “One of the most representative cases in our history where political conflicts were marked by the assassination of a specific group is the assassination of Kim Gu. A lot of people have been killed for political reasons, but I hope we won’t live in such a world anymore.”
These remarks from Lee are interpreted as subtly emphasizing that he is a “victim of targeted investigation” and criticizing the Supreme Court's decision to quash and return his case regarding election law violations.
Meanwhile, on the 7th, the second day of his "Listening Tour," Lee plans to visit Jin-an, Jeonju, and Iksan in North Jeolla Province, as well as Cheongyang and Yesan in South Chungcheong Province.
As with the previous day, he is expected to focus on assessing public opinion in local commercial areas and traditional markets. In the afternoon, he plans to share his reflections on this listening tour through a live broadcast.
Image source: Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, is greeting merchants at the Jangttal Market in Jeungpyeong-gun, North Chungcheong Province, on the morning of the second day of his Listening Tour on the 6th. 2025.5.6/News1 (joint coverage), Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, is conversing with a rice cake shop owner at the Yeongdong Central Market in Yeongdong-gun, North Chungcheong Province, on the afternoon of the second day of his Listening Tour on the 6th. 2025.5.6/News1, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, is delivering an impromptu speech on the afternoon of the second day of his Listening Tour on Geumsan-ro in Geumsan-gun, South Chungcheong Province. 2025.5.6/News1
