Song Young-gil's 'Daekkæmun' Remark Controversy... Jeong Sye-gyun Urges "Apologize Immediately for Insulting Party Supporters"

Jeong Sye-gyun "I can hardly believe my eyes and ears"
Song Young-gil "The intention of the remarks is for us to unite... Integration won't happen if certain candidates are excluded"
"Whoever it is, I remain neutral"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] On the 5th, Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, used the term 'Daekkæmun' to refer to the party's hardline pro-Moon Jae-in faction, sparking strong backlash from party supporters. Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun urged an immediate apology, saying it is "a term being misused to disparage party supporters."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 5th, former Prime Minister Chung posted on Facebook a message titled "'Daekkæmun'?," demanding Song to "apologize immediately regardless of the reason."

Chung criticized, "Leader Song used the term 'Daekkæmun' in an official setting," adding, "He put forward the absurd logic that the pro-Roh faction's refusal to vote caused past presidential election defeats, and furthermore, as the primary just started, he made biased remarks as if a particular candidate was already confirmed, which is unbelievable."

He continued, "Even before the controversy over the national interviewers has settled," and said, "Fairness, identity, and prudence are the lifeblood of party management. This is deeply concerning." He then questioned, "Where on earth are you trying to lead the party?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

That morning, at a Kwanhun Club discussion held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, Song responded to a question about reports that some pro-Moon supporters would rather vote for an opposition candidate to check Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung by saying, "There are definitely some extreme supporters."

He added, "Those who loudly call themselves 'Daekkæmun' to protect President Moon Jae-in must clearly realize that the moment they think they would rather support the opposition if someone else becomes the candidate, they cannot protect or ensure the success of President Moon." After it became known that he used the term 'Daekkæmun' toward party members, protest posts appeared on the Democratic Party's member bulletin boards.

As the controversy grew, after a meeting with the head of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions in the afternoon, Song met with reporters and explained, "The intention of my remarks was to say that we should unite," and "not to exclude any particular person."

Regarding former Prime Minister Chung's criticism that Song was harming party unity, Song sighed and emphasized, "If you look closely, it means not to exclude any particular candidate."

When asked if the term itself was provocative, he replied, "It's not because I support candidate Lee Jae-myung, but because if you say any particular candidate is absolutely unacceptable, unity cannot be achieved," and concluded, "Whoever it is, I am neutral."

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