"People in Gangnam, Wear Workers' Uniforms" Mockery Continues After 'Defector' Taegumin's Election Victory

4·15 General Election Defector Tae Gumin Elected in Seoul Gangnam...Netizens Mock "Wearing People's Uniform"
Tae Gumin: "South Korea Is My Homeland...I Will Devote Efforts to Sustainable North Korea Policy"

In the 21st general election, Tae Gu-min (Tae Young-ho), a candidate from the United Future Party running in Gangnam-gap, Seoul, is shedding tears while expressing his feelings after his victory was confirmed at the Gangnam District campaign office on the 16th. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Juhyung Lim] Mockery continues surrounding Tae Gumin (Tae Young-ho), a former North Korean diplomat and elected member of the United Future Party (Seoul Gangnam-gap). Some have ridiculed that citizens of the district where he was elected should now wear North Korean-style worker uniforms.

On the 16th, a post titled "Gangnam-gu Yeoksam-dong Lipguk Procedure Guide" was uploaded on an online community. The author wrote, "From now on, forget about Gangnam Style and all that nonsense, (from now on) you must wear worker uniforms. If you frown or complain, you will be summarily executed," attaching a photo of North Korean soldiers.

Another community posted a photo of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un. In the photo, Kim raises his right arm and says, "If Tae Young-ho can make it, I can too, right?" This is interpreted as mocking Tae’s election. On another online board, a photoshopped image of a North Korean building with the phrase "Following the General for Ten Thousand Ri" was posted.

A photo of Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, was recently posted on an online community. In the photo, Kim Jong-un is referring to Tae Young-ho (Tae Gumin), who ran for and was elected in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, in the 21st general election, and says he will also run. The photo is a composite image interpreted as mocking Representative Tae. Photo by Online Community Capture

Mockery of Tae also continued on the Blue House’s national petition board. One netizen posted a message titled "Please legislate a mandatory quota of apartments for North Korean defectors in reconstruction areas of Gangnam-gu, Seoul," saying, "I salute the political awareness and spirit of the times of Gangnam residents who chose Mr. Tae Gumin, overcoming the Cold War ideological barrier in this general election in Seoul Gangnam-gap," and urged, "Please include mandatory apartments for defectors in all reconstruction and redevelopment projects in Gangnam-gu."

Some netizens agreed with this mockery, commenting, "This is typical of a nation of satire and humor," and "If you elected a red to avoid paying comprehensive real estate tax, you should accept this much."

On the other hand, some expressed discomfort. One netizen pointed out, "There were people who expressed hatred toward former lawmaker Lee Ja-sim, the first immigrant-origin parliamentarian in the 19th general election," and added, "The same discrimination is happening toward Mr. Tae."

Such mocking posts were also uploaded on the Blue House National Petition Board. / Photo by National Petition Board capture

Earlier, on the 16th, Tae won decisively with 58.4% of the vote, far ahead of Democratic Party candidate Kim Seong-gon (39.6%). Upon confirmation of his victory, Tae said, "The Republic of Korea is my homeland, and Gangnam is now my hometown," adding, "Today’s victory is not my victory but the great victory of our Gangnam residents."

He also expressed his aspirations, saying, "Going forward, I plan to devote all my capabilities so that our National Assembly and government can realistically and sustainably address the reality of North Korea and pursue practical policies toward the North."

Regarding the reason for his election, he responded, "I think voters chose me because they saw my courage to come to Korea seeking freedom, democracy, and a market economy and wanted me to do greater things."

Meanwhile, Tae is a former North Korean envoy to the United Kingdom who defected to South Korea in August 2016. Since then, he has been active in lectures, writing, and blogging. He was strategically nominated as the United Future Party candidate for the Gangnam-gap constituency in this general election.

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