Resumed Verbal Battles... Is 'Old-Fashioned Politics' Repeating?

On the 28th, Kwon In-sook and Park Sang-hyuk, members of the Democratic Party of Korea, submitted a disciplinary proposal against Sujin Jo of the People Power Party to the National Assembly Secretariat, comparing Go Min-jung to a concubine. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The political sphere has once again been engulfed in a war of harsh words. As competition intensifies, as it did during last April's general election, the use of crossing-the-line expressions tends to increase.

People Power Party lawmaker Jo Su-jin's Facebook post likening Go Min-jeong of the Democratic Party of Korea to a 'concubine' continues to cause strong aftershocks, and controversy also surrounds former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's 'Joseonjok' remark. On the 28th, he appeared on the YouTube channel 'Goseongguk TV' and claimed, "There are tens of thousands of naturalized Joseonjok living on the Yangkkochi street," adding, "More than 90% of them lean toward the Democratic Party."

In response, Democratic Party lawmaker Woo Sang-ho said, "It is lamentable how the protagonist of the 'Oh Se-hoon Law,' which was created for clean politics, has somehow degenerated into an 'Ilbe' politician." Then, People Power Party Deputy Spokesperson Hong Jong-gi rebutted in a statement, saying, "Condemning citizens who use certain websites just because they have different political views is also a form of hatred against a specific group of people," and added, "Before criticizing others, I hope you first reflect on yourself."

Last year's April 15 general election was also marred by harsh words. The consecutive controversies over harsh remarks toward the end of the election period were cited as one of the reasons for the crushing defeat of the United Future Party at the time. Candidate Kim Dae-ho, who said "The 30s and 40s are a generation of ignorance and delusion," and candidate Cha Myung-jin, who made harsh remarks about the Sewol ferry victims' families' tents, were eventually expelled.

Harsh words especially have a negative impact on the perceptions of younger voters. Kim (26), a Seoul citizen, said, "The election gradually intensifying with provocative slander rather than rational criticism lowers the public's trust." Jeong Hyun-ji (27), living in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, also pointed out, "For those like me who do not support any party, a single low-level word or provocative remark greatly influences voters' perceptions."

Park Sang-chul, dean of the Graduate School of Political Studies at Kyonggi University, explained the cause of the repeated old-fashioned politics as "the current state of Korean politics deeply immersed in politics of hatred and factional logic," adding, "Although each party is somewhat mindful, it is still due to a lack of political sensibility."

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