DP CHAIR PARENTS’ GRAVES VANDALIZED

[Anchor Lead]

Democratic Party chairman Lee Jae-myung shared pictures of his parent's graves, claiming that someone had vandalized them. The DP called the incident "an immoral act of terrorism" and urged an investigation to be carried out. Meanwhile, some are calling on Lee to take ethical responsibility for the death of his former chief of staff.

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Someone has dug holes around the graves of DP Chair Lee Jae-myung's parents and inserted large rocks. The rocks contain Chinese characters, two of them meaning "life" and "light." The other characters are illegible. Lee posted the images of the vandalized graves, saying the apparent purpose of the destruction is curse and disgrace. The opposition leader wrote he feels sorry to his parents for making them suffer insults because of him. The DP called the incident "an immoral act of terrorism" and is urging an investigation be carried out.

[Soundbite] Lim O-kyeong(Spokesperson, Democratic Party) : "This is an immoral act of terrorism on the tombs of the deceased parents of the leader of the main opposition party."

Meanwhile, some are calling on Lee to take responsibility for the death of his former chief of staff. Yoon Young-chan says Lee must take responsibility for any burden he had imposed on the deceased. Former senior party executive Kim Hae-young pointed out that if the DP continues to bulletproof its leader in the current circumstances, it may soon cease to exist. The PPP blasted Lee for criticizing the president and the government despite the death of his former chief of staff, and said he should first act as a human being rather than a politician.

[Soundbite] Jang Dong-hyeok(Floor spokesperson, PPP) : "Right after expressing condolences to the bereaved family, Lee Jae-myung turned around and began blaming others again."

Pro-Lee party members are repeatedly blaming prosecutors for their excessive investigations.

[Soundbite] Jung Sung-ho(Democratic Party (KBS Sunday Diagnosis)) : "If the deceased felt mortified, he would have blamed Lee Jae-myung. He decided to take his life because of the prosecutors’ demands."

The DP leadership is determined to counter attacks targeting Lee by stepping up its offensive and launching a committee on the Yoon administration's submissive diplomacy with Japan.