Roh Moo Hyun on Lee Myung-bak

Roh Moo Hyun, while in office, expressed significant concern that the policies of his successor-in-waiting, Lee Myung-bak, would halt or reverse his administration's goal of balanced regional development. The incumbent president specifically worried that Lee, the opposition party's candidate, would scrap comprehensive real estate taxes that benefited provincial cities, potentially widening the disparity between Seoul and other regions. This public critique of Lee’s stated policy intentions included a challenge to his vow to reintroduce a regional tax system by dismantling existing taxes, leading Roh to seek continued support for his development agenda beyond his term ending in February.

Furthermore, the political tension extended beyond policy disagreements, as the Roh administration filed a libel suit against Lee Myung-bak and his aides for allegedly making unfounded claims that Roh's government was plotting to obstruct Lee's presidential bid. This adversarial dynamic was mirrored later, as many of Roh's supporters and civil society groups felt suppressed under the subsequent Lee administration, which abolished communication channels established during the progressive rule. The investigations into Roh and his family following the transition, which coincided with his death, led many of his allies to later claim that the investigation Lee faced was politically motivated revenge for the treatment of his predecessor.