Regarding Violent Expressions Related to Women’s Bodies
“An Insult to the Nation, a Proponent of Political Hatred”,
▲ Presidential candidate Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party speaks during a political TV debate at the MBC studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 27th. MBC broadcast capture, ‘On the 28th, the Democratic Party expressed strong criticism of Reform Party presidential candidate Lee Jun-seok for mentioning violent expressions related to women’s bodies during a TV debate the previous day.’,
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, ‘Cho Seung-rae, the chief spokesperson of the Central Election Strategy Committee, said at a briefing held at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, “During a live debate watched even by children, he made unspeakable remarks, engaging in vile verbal violence. Shamelessness does not equate to youth,” and criticized it as “intolerable violence.”‘,
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, ‘The Women’s Headquarters of the campaign committee also expressed outrage in a separate statement, saying, “We cannot contain our anger at the remarks of insult and hatred towards women that were made without any restraint,” urging, “Regardless of the reasons, Lee’s remarks cannot be justified. Candidate Lee Jun-seok should immediately apologize to the public and resign.”‘,
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, ‘Democratic Party lawmakers unanimously joined the criticism.’,
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, ‘Rep. Lee So-young pointed out on her Facebook page, “Candidate Lee, under the guise of quoting someone else, broadcast violent expressions without filter,” and noted that “his remarks are unmistakably violent.”‘,
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, ‘She continued, “Quoting curses is still a curse, and quoting sexual harassment is still sexual harassment,” questioning why the public, earnestly watching to choose a presidential candidate, had to endure such unspeakable language from a candidate.’,
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, ‘Rep. Ko Min-jung also criticized on Facebook, saying, “All I saw in Lee Jun-seok was hatred and contempt. He gained presence in this election, not as a future hope, but as a toxic figure.”‘,
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, ‘Rep. Kim Nam-hee stated, “It’s an insult to the public and viewers, and sexual harassment,” claiming, “As of today, Lee Jun-seok has lost his qualifications as a politician.”‘,
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, ‘The Democratic Party escalated their offensive by demanding not only his withdrawal from the presidential race but also his resignation as a lawmaker.’,
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, ‘Kim Min-seok, co-chair of the party’s campaign committee, strongly criticized, “Lee Jun-seok’s political career is over. He should resign,” and rhetorically asked, “How can we keep such a vile figure in the National Assembly?”‘,
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, ‘Rep. Han Joon-ho stated, “I believe that a person like Lee should no longer be involved in politics,” suggesting that “resigning from candidacy and being expelled from the legislature will be his final political fate.”‘,
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, ‘Kim Yong-min, deputy floor leader, argued that “Lee Jun-seok has crossed the line too severely,” and called for his expulsion from both the National Assembly and all broadcasts, labeling him as “a propagator of political hatred.”‘,
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, ‘The controversial remarks came from Lee Jun-seok during a TV debate, where he referenced violent expressions about women’s bodies while questioning Democratic Labor Party candidate Kwon Young-kook about whether it constituted misogyny by the party’s standards. This was interpreted as targeting Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung. Previously, claims had been made online about Lee Jae-myung’s son commenting on a similar issue.’