Lee Kwang-jae "Daegu, which elected the president based on party, ranks last in the nation's economy"... Opposition "Anger over division"

Lee Kwang-jae "Daegu's Economy Ranks Last Even with Park Chung-hee, Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, Lee Myung-bak, or Park Geun-hye"

Lee Kwang-jae, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Lee Kwang-jae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, claimed on the 31st of last month, "Currently, Daegu's economy ranks last nationwide. This is because people voted based on the party, not the person," drawing criticism for disparaging voters from a specific region. The People Power Party labeled this as 'division tactics' and urged the Democratic Party to apologize.

At an election strategy committee meeting held in Busan that day, Lee said, "Despite having had Presidents Park Chung-hee, Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, Lee Myung-bak, and Park Geun-hye over the past 40 years, Daegu's economy is still last in the country. Why is that?"

He emphasized, "Daegu's economy has fallen to last place because people elected politicians busy securing nominations rather than working for the people's livelihood," adding, "For Busan's economy to rise, people must be chosen based on their capabilities to create a future."

Lee also appealed, "After staying in Busan for a month, I have some observations. I sincerely apologize for the Democratic Party's shortcomings. Busan's economy is very difficult. Please look at who will revive Busan and make your choice accordingly."

Although Lee's remarks were intended to emphasize Busan's economic development, he mentioned an unrelated specific region, leading to criticism that he disparaged voters from that area.

The People Power Party immediately reacted to Lee's comments. Hwang Gyu-hwan, the party's full-time deputy spokesperson, stated in a commentary that "If you went to Busan for election campaigning, you should just talk about how to revive Busan's economy. Why bring up Daegu unnecessarily and disparage it?" He called it "an insult to the sacred voting rights of Daegu citizens."

He continued, "Looking at the per capita income in 2019, Daegu was not last, and whether it is Daegu or Busan, is there any place in South Korea where the economy is not struggling?" He added, "The Moon Jae-in administration, which insisted on the unheard-of income-led growth policy after being elected to revive the economy, actually caused the worst economic crisis."

Furthermore, Deputy Spokesperson Hwang said, "As a ruling party lawmaker, I feel a sense of responsibility, and rather than apologizing, disparaging a specific region because they did not vote for them, and further belittling citizens' choices while engaging in divisive tactics, is infuriating." He urged, "Lee and the Democratic Party must deeply apologize to the citizens of Daegu and the public and immediately stop outdated, old-fashioned politics."

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