Lee Criticizes President Yoon for Interfering in Elections Over GTX-A Issues

Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, criticized President Lee Jae-myung on May 21 for allegedly interfering in the upcoming elections by directing an investigation into the missing rebar issue at the GTX-A Samsung Station construction site.

Jang shared an article on his Facebook page detailing President Lee's instructions to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport regarding the rebar situation, stating, "Jung Won-o (the Democratic Party's candidate for Seoul mayor) is struggling, so Lee Jae-myung is in a hurry."

He linked the government's push for a special investigation into incidents involving President Lee to the current situation, questioning, "Is the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which is responsible for the incident, being told to cover up its mistakes?"

Jang added, "Seoul citizens already know the truth about Jung Won-o, so it won't matter," and challenged, "If you're innocent, let's have a debate about Samsung Station."

Earlier, Jung Won-o called for a halt to the GTX-A Samsung Station construction, suggesting that it should be paused until safety concerns are addressed. The Democratic Party announced plans to hold a task force meeting on May 22 to investigate the allegations surrounding the missing rebar.

In response, Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, criticized Jung, saying, "He is only focused on amplifying public anxiety to gain an electoral advantage. The Ministry of Land and the Korea Railroad Corporation concluded after 17 days of test operations that there are no safety issues, yet he wants to stop it for political reasons."

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reformist Party, remarked, "Saying that the GTX-A Samsung Station construction should be stopped is essentially declaring that you want to disrupt the commuting routes for residents of Hwaseong. Using safety as an excuse to halt the GTX project is merely a political maneuver against candidate Oh."

He emphasized, "I will not stand by while the Democratic Party sacrifices the commuting routes of Hwaseong residents for their electoral calculations. We cannot allow the already delayed full opening of GTX-A to be postponed further due to the political logic of candidate Jung and the Democratic Party."