Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, reaffirmed his stance on the 'HMM transfer to Busan' pledge that has recently been a point of controversy in the political arena on the 27th. Lee Jun-seok, a candidate from the Reform Party, claimed that candidate Lee Jae-myung may face restrictions on entering the United States in connection with the 'SSANGBANGWOOL remittance allegations' to North Korea.

Lee Jae-myung, candidate for president from the Democratic Party of Korea (from left), Kwon Young-guk, candidate for president from the Democratic Labor Party, Kim Moon-soo, candidate for president from the People Power Party, and Lee Jun-seok, candidate for president from the Reform Party, pose before returning to their seats at the political TV debate held on the 27th at the MBC studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. /News1

During a debate held at the MBC studio in Mapo, Seoul, at 8 p.m. that day, candidate Lee Jae-myung's 'HMM transfer pledge to Busan' was mentioned in the discussion sequence regarding 'foreign affairs and security policy' pledges. It arose during the process of responding to candidate Lee Jun-seok's question, 'What company is the predecessor of HMM?'

Candidate Lee Jae-myung stated, 'HMM will definitely go to Busan. Since the government holds equity, it is possible according to its will.' He added, 'We need to make Busan the central city of the shipping port. Concentrating shipping logistics companies in Busan will be very beneficial. Therefore, I will send HMM to Busan.'

Earlier, candidate Lee announced on the 14th that he would transfer HMM to Busan during a campaign in the city. However, following that, the major shareholder, a public institution, said it had not reviewed the proposal, and the HMM labor union also opposed the transfer, leading to discord.

In response, candidate Lee stated on Facebook that 'I promised during the Busan campaign to transfer the HMM headquarters to Busan. This promise is still valid and will be kept in the future,' and he reaffirmed his commitment during that day's debate.

Candidate Lee Jun-seok mentioned that HMM's predecessor, Hyundai Merchant Marine, encountered problems while engaging in North Korean 사업 in the early 2000s and brought up the allegations of 'SSANGBANGWOOL remittances' to North Korea.

He pointed out, 'Candidate Lee Jae-myung is facing a lot of difficulty due to SSANGBANGWOOL's remittance to North Korea. The remittance issue could become a target of U.S. sanctions regardless of legal judgments.'

He further claimed, 'Even if he becomes president, there is a problem that his entry into the United States may be restricted,' stating, 'It is obvious that candidate Lee Jae-myung will be in a very unfavorable situation in diplomacy.' He added, 'In the past, leaders with insufficient domestic legitimacy have struggled in negotiations with the U.S.,' questioning whether former President Trump would let such a weakness go unaddressed if candidate Lee were elected.

In response, candidate Lee Jae-myung noted, 'There is no basis for the claim that I was involved in the North Korean remittance,' asserting, 'The idea that they remitted money for me is unbelievable. There are claims that it was used as gambling money after they faced an investigation for stock price manipulation, but I believe this truth will soon be revealed.'

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