Yoon Suk-yeol: "Would I have written the character 王 on my palm?... It was a mistake to take it lightly"

Hong Jun-pyo "Prince amulet issue reported in foreign media"
Undercover party member issue also a point of contention

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party’s presidential candidate and former Prosecutor General, faced intense scrutiny from rival candidates over successive controversies, including the palm "王" (king) character and disguised party members. Yoon apologized for the "king" character controversy, saying he was "sorry," but actively defended himself against allegations regarding disguised party members, claiming his intentions were distorted.

During the People Power Party’s 6th presidential primary debate broadcast on KBS on the 5th, Yoon said, "Would I have written the 'king' character on my palm?" and admitted, "It was my fault for not taking it seriously, thinking it was just a gesture of support." Regarding the character remaining on his palm during three broadcasts, he explained, "Several people were gathered at the apartment; the character was written small twice and larger the third time," adding, "Even after wiping, it wouldn’t come off."

Rivals made this issue a point of contention. Representative Hong Joon-pyo criticized, "The 'king' character talisman issue was even reported by foreign media in Hong Kong," calling it "an international embarrassment and a mistake." Former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung said, "President Nixon’s impeachment and resignation in the U.S. were not due to the wiretapping itself but because of the subsequent cover-up," criticizing Yoon’s response of "washing mainly the fingers" after the controversy. Former Representative Yoo Seung-min questioned Yoon about meeting monks and shamans after mentioning their names. When asked about his wife and mother-in-law meeting shamans, Yoon replied, "I don’t know well," but added, "Many women in our country also go to see fortune tellers."

The disguised party member issue was also a major point. Earlier, Yoon mentioned, "There are talks that some attempts by the Democratic Party to systematically interfere in our party’s primary are happening," raising the disguised party member issue. When Yoo asked, "Do you have evidence?" Yoon responded, "Even in our (DC Inside) People Power Party gallery, there are quite a few pro-Democratic Party supporters who have double memberships, saying things like, 'If we keep doing this, can we go in and vote for someone?'" However, when criticized that party members were hurt by this, he expressed "regret."

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