Jung Sye-kyun Mentions "Jangyuyuseo" to Lee Jun-seok... Yoo Seung-min Calls Him a "Kkondae Elder"

Yoo Seung-min "Jung Se-kyun, Apologize to Lee Jun-seok"
Jung Se-kyun Clarifies Amid Controversy: "Intended to Overcome the Culture of Seniority"

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min criticized former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on the 25th for mentioning 'Jang-yu-yu-seo (長幼有序)' toward former Supreme Council member Lee Jun-seok, who ran for party leader, saying it "smells like an old-fashioned authoritarian attitude."

On the same day, Yoo posted on his Facebook under the title "Jang-yu-yu-seo? An old authoritarian elder rudely meddling in another party's election."

He said, "Former Prime Minister Chung targeted candidate Lee by saying 'Our society has a culture of Jang-yu-yu-seo,'" and added, "Looking up the meaning of Jang-yu-yu-seo, it means 'there is a social order and hierarchy between elders and children.' It is one of the basic Confucian principles, Samgang Oryun."

He continued, "To treat candidate Lee as a 'child who does not follow the order'..." and criticized, "Since when did a party that claims to practice democracy start to care about age? This is why they are being ignored by the 2030 generation."

Yoo also said, "No matter who another party elects as their leader, refraining from unnecessary quarrels and sending guests to congratulate them is the 'Samgang Oryun of the political world,'" adding, "Are you amazed and envious of our party's change and innovation? If you are envious, you lose."

Finally, he emphasized, "Please don't dismiss this as a misunderstanding and apologize to candidate Lee coolly."

Former Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun, a presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, former Prime Minister Chung appeared on TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' and sparked controversy by saying about former Supreme Council member Lee, who is causing a stir in the party leader race, "Managing a presidential election is not that simple. Can it be done without experience? Moreover, there is a special culture in our country called 'Jang-yu-yu-seo' culture."

In response to this remark, former Supreme Council member Lee said, "What I mean by fair competition is to remove 'Jang-yu-yu-seo' from the test subjects," and added, "If that is included in the test subjects, it means starting by excluding the younger generation."

As the controversy grew, former Prime Minister Chung posted on his Facebook, "It seems there was a misunderstanding due to a misinterpretation of my remarks. That was not the meaning I intended," and explained, "It is a big change that a young candidate is gaining attention as a party leader, and such change is positive. The intention was that the lingering Jang-yu-yu-seo culture within the party should be overcome."

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