Y Party Deputy Spokesperson "One-Year Mayor Election with Unrealistic Promises" Controversy... Opposition Demands Resignation

Park Jin-young, Democratic Party Senior Deputy Spokesperson, Controversy Over 'Harsh Profanity'
Apologizes for Excessive Expression Amid Controversy
Opposition: "Vulgar Language Fit for Marketplace"

Jinyoung Park, Senior Deputy Spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Deputy Spokesperson Park, captured from Facebook.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Ahead of the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election, as the ruling and opposition parties continue to announce their candidates' pledges, on the 18th, Park Jinyoung, the full-time deputy spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, sparked controversy by referring to the opposition candidates' pledges as "saengjiX pledges." The opposition immediately protested and called for Park's resignation. Following the controversy, the post has since been deleted.

On the same day, Park criticized the pledges made by People Power Party candidates Na Kyungwon and Oh Sehoon in a post on his Facebook, saying, "They are putting forward saengjiX pledges for electing a one-year mayor," and added, "While long-term plans are good, you should also consider what is possible within one year."

Previously, candidate Na pledged "everyone within a 10-minute walk to subway access," and candidate Oh announced a pledge to "host the 2032 Olympics."

Regarding this, Park added, "Instead of dreaming of distant and grand projects that take decades and trillions of won in investment, it would be better to finish the work started by the late Mayor Park Wonsoon."

The opposition immediately protested against these remarks and demanded his resignation. Hwang Kyuhwan, the full-time deputy spokesperson of the People Power Party, issued a statement saying, "Even amid a by-election caused by the massive public funds spent due to the sexual misconduct scandal of the ruling party's local government head, the ruling party's deputy spokesperson shamelessly spewed outrageous remarks against opposition candidates."

He continued, "Park posted vulgar expressions on his SNS criticizing the People Power Party candidates' pledges, expressions that one would only expect to hear in a marketplace."

He said, "This clearly reveals how low the ruling party deputy spokesperson's awareness is and that the Democratic Party views this election as merely a 'one-year election.' Park, who repeats old habits without the qualification to represent a political party, should resign immediately, and the Democratic Party must apologize to the public and take appropriate measures."

Photo by Park, Deputy Spokesperson, Facebook capture.

Following the controversy, Park deleted the post and apologized, saying, "I apologize for the excessive expression. I recognized it immediately and deleted the post, but it was very quick." He then questioned, "But isn't it too absurd for a one-year mayor to pledge hosting the Olympics?"

Previously, Park also sparked controversy last year by describing former Dongyang University professor Jin Joongkwon as 'Ye Hyeong' from the Three Kingdoms, a figure known for being killed by harsh words.

In response, former professor Jin said, "If interpreted mildly, it means 'Jin Joongkwon is just so hateful that I want to kill him,' and if interpreted strongly, it is a double-edged threat saying 'If you keep doing this, I will cut the leash entirely.'"

Meanwhile, Park, who began his political activities in the 2000s through 'Nosamo' activities, served as spokesperson for the National Balanced Development Committee during the Moon Jaein administration. Since May last year, he has been serving as the full-time deputy spokesperson for the Democratic Party, issuing various commentaries and statements on current issues.

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