Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the minor conservative New Reform Party, responded on May 29 to the controversy surrounding his explici...
Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the minor conservative New Reform Party, speaks during an emergency press conference at the National Assembly on May 29 to defend himself against criticism over controversial remarks referencing a woman's body during the final televised presidential debate on May 27.
/ Reporter Song Dong-hoon Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the minor conservative New Reform Party, responded on May 29 to the controversy surrounding his explicit remarks on sexual violence during a recent televised presidential debate by saying, “We cannot allow the public to be thrown into confusion again under the names of Kim Hye-kyung and Lee Dong-ho,” adding, “Where in my question was there hatred?” He repackaged and reproduced his reenactment of the sexual violence remarks under the guise of verifying the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea Lee Jae-myung's family, thereby perpetuating secondary harm. At a press conference held at the National Assembly on that day, Lee Jun-seok claimed that his remarks were part of a “step-by-step verification.” On May 27, during the third presidential TV debate hosted by the National Election Broadcasting Debate Commission at the MBC studio in Sangam-dong, Seoul, he sparked controversy by repeating explicit online comments on sexual violence against women without filtering. Lee Jun-seok acknowledged, “The expressions in question were so vulgar that even attempts to refine or moderate them had limits. I sincerely apologize to those who felt discomfort,” but he redirected criticism toward Lee Jae-myung. “The most serious issue lies with candidate Lee Jae-myung,” Lee said, asserting that “the remark I used was not my creation, but part of a post that Lee Dong-ho, the son of Lee Jae-myung, uploaded himself to an online community.” He maintained that his comment was “not mere provocation, but part of a step-by-step verification process” and “an extension of public accountability.” Lee Jun-seok also brought up allegations of illegal gambling involving Lee Dong-ho. “In addition to his crude and hateful expressions, Lee Dong-ho deposited illegal gambling funds over 700 times over nearly two years, totaling 2.3 billion won,” he said. “If Lee Jae-myung was unaware of this, it is either due to indifference or incompetence. Can such a person truly be fit to lead a country?” In response to growing criticism, Lee Jun-seok said, “A collective lynching is ongoing to brand me with the label of hatred,” and pushed back, saying, “Which part of my question was hateful? Who is truly deserving of condemnation as a sex offender?” He described the criticism as “an attack on the messenger” and hinted at pursuing legal action. Lee’s remarks, which included specific references to a woman’s body and sexual violence in the form of a question, have drawn harsh criticism from political and social circles for rekindling linguistic sexual violence. However, Lee Jun-seok maintained his stance that there was nothing wrong with what he said. 정치 많이 본 기사 During a Q&A session with the press, Lee Jun-seok pointed out, “Even in the DPK recently, there have been political attacks over the past few weeks using problematic words like a ‘hostess bar.’ So what terms should we use instead?” He further said, “If we cannot cite profane or obscene language that has become a social issue in public discourse, then how will the public ever know about it? That would be a truly troubling situation.” Regarding calls to expel him from his parliamentary position, Lee argued, “If a lawmaker is expelled for asking a question about an incident that has already been confirmed, then isn’t that Lee Jae-myung-style dictatorship?” Critics argue that Lee Jun-seok’s continued reproduction of sexual violence-related remarks constitutes secondary victimization. The day before, he posted an article on Facebook that included a photo of the female celebrity who was presumed to be the victim of the remarks. He also temporarily shared a post that included an indictment summary detailing the explicit sexual violence comments made by Lee Dong-ho. On the same day, Lee Jun-seok again brought up the remarks in a Facebook post rebutting the DPK’s criticism against him. ※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool. 한글기사 원본
Continues Secondary Victimization Without Remorse
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Supreme Court overturns acquittal of Lee Jae-myung in election law case, sends shockwaves through presidential raceThe Supreme Court overturned an earlier ruling that cleared Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK...
Read more »
Invoking Cho Bong-am and Kim Dae-jung, Lee jae-myung vows not to yield to ‘judicial murder’“Sometimes the unjust schemes of unjust forces succeed, but we will never be defeated,” said Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democ...
Read more »
Lee Jae-myung maintains lead in presidential race, but gap narrows as Kim Moon-soo gainsLee Jae-myung, the candidate of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), continues to maintain a commanding lead with 47.4 percent support as o...
Read more »
Ballots printed as 1st deadline passes without unification of Kim Moon-soo and Lee Jun-seokThe first deadline proposed by the conservative People Power Party (PPP) for unifying its presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo with Lee Jun-seok, ca...
Read more »
Lee Jae-myung promises no political retaliation, pledges focus on economy and unityLee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), announced plans to establish an “Emergency Economic Respo...
Read more »
Lee Jun-seok says, ‘If PPP has real will for candidate unification, Kim Moon-soo should withdraw his candidacy’Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the minor conservative New Reform Party (pictured), responded to the conservative People Power Party (P...
Read more »