"Political Talent Recruitment Show Revealed Its True Nature," Jin Joong-kwon Criticizes Won Jong-geon's 'MeToo' Controversy

Recruitment No. 2 Won Jong-geon Returns Qualification and Withdraws Candidacy Amid MeToo Controversy
Jin Joong-kwon: "Both Parties Competitively Recruit for Moving the Public's Heart"

Won Jong-geon, a recruited talent of the Democratic Party of Korea, is declaring his candidacy for the 21st general election in a constituency at the National Assembly Press Hall on the 23rd. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon criticized Won Jong-geon (27), who voluntarily resigned on the 28th amid the 'Me too' controversy, saying, "You can see the essence of the political 'talent recruitment show'."

On the same day, Jin posted on his Facebook, stating, "Apart from the 'Me too' issue, what needs to be addressed in the Won Jong-geon case is the problem of 'politics becoming an event'."

He said, "What should be noted is that this guy posted on SNS that he received recruitment offers from two places simultaneously before joining the Democratic Party," adding, "According to that, one party offered a proportional representation spot, and the other offered a district nomination. The former party appears to be the Korean Party, and the latter the Democratic Party."

He continued, "This guy was asking netizens which party he should go to," and pointed out, "Ultimately, what was important to him when starting politics was not ideology, policy, or philosophy. It was which option, proportional representation or district nomination, would be better for his career."

Professor Jin criticized again, saying, "It's no different from comparing the pros and cons of two options when shopping at a mall," and "In short, this promotional event evaporates 'politics'."

He also pointed out, "Two parties competitively tried to recruit a person who was not prepared at all to do politics, a person who could easily switch to another party, solely because he once appeared on TV and touched the hearts of the public, without any verification of how he had lived or how he lives now."

Professor Jin added, "This emotional marketing makes real 'politics' disappear into a fictitious image staged in front of the camera."

Photo by Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University, Facebook capture

On the 27th, a woman A, who identified herself as Won's ex-girlfriend, posted on an online community, claiming, "Won continuously treated me, his girlfriend, as a sexual object and tormented me with misogyny and gaslighting."

A said, "Won's actions were clearly dating violence, and I sincerely wanted an apology, but he never expressed any remorse," explaining, "If you search only for Won Jong-geon on Google, 'Me too' automatically follows. Although it has been removed now, the term also appeared on Naver."

She added, "I am not afraid at all of being sued for defamation. The incidents I mentioned are clear facts based on evidence and actual experience, so if I am sued for defamation by stating facts, it means admitting his misdeeds," and "Even if he is not a public figure, this is an incident that deserves criticism, and I think it is wrong to let it go like this."

As the controversy spread, Won held a press conference at the National Assembly's Press Hall on the 28th, saying, "I will voluntarily return my qualification as a recruited talent for the Democratic Party's 21st general election," and apologized, "A woman I once dated posted content related to me on the internet. The controversy alone has caused trouble for the party. I am sorry for that."

However, regarding the Me too allegations, Won denied, saying, "The posts are not true," and "Though I had many faults and mistakes in my youth, I did not live recklessly. It is devastating to be labeled as a shameless person."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.