"Have You Experienced Poverty?"... Presidential Candidates' Unexpected 'Heuksooji' Debate

Won Hee-ryong "Philosophy on Poverty Important to Become President"
Yoon Seok-yeol on Poverty Experience Question: "Grew Up Always Seeing and Feeling It Around Me"
Experts: "Why Do Presidential Candidates Emphasize 'Poverty'? Strategy to Gain Votes"

Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential primary candidate, is delivering a congratulatory speech on the afternoon of the 11th at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Chipyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, during the National Youth Assembly's inaugural ceremony and Honam launch event.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "Have you ever experienced poverty?"

Recently, a so-called 'poverty' debate has been ongoing among presidential candidates. The controversy began when the camp of Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung compared Lee's impoverished childhood with the relatively affluent childhood of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. This led some candidates to recall their own impoverished pasts. However, some critics argue that "poverty has become a badge of honor." Experts analyze that since most voters belong to the common people, emphasizing poverty is a strategy to win votes.

Among the People Power Party presidential candidates, an unexpected 'poverty' debate has ignited. On the 11th, at a People Power Party presidential candidate debate hosted by Gwangju KBS, former Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong referred to the viral childhood photos of Governor Lee in poverty and former Prosecutor General Yoon wearing a bow tie, asking, "What are your thoughts?" Former Prosecutor General Yoon responded, "The clothes I wore were a school uniform. The bow tie was part of the graduation ceremony uniform."

Former Governor Won then emphasized, "To become the president of a country, a philosophy about poverty is important," and asked, "Have you ever experienced poverty in your lifetime?" In response, former Prosecutor General Yoon said, "My father was a teacher, so we were not poor. But that doesn't mean we were well-off either." He added, "I wasn't as poor as Governor Lee, but when we were growing up, the country was struggling, and there were poor friends everywhere at school and beyond."

Former Governor Won also asked, "Have you ever shared a livelihood with the poor?" to which former Prosecutor General Yoon replied, "When I was studying for the bar exam and attending school, I shared a livelihood. I remember eating raw ramen with a truly poor friend." Regarding the question, "How do you intend to understand the hearts of the poor citizens?" former Prosecutor General Yoon reiterated, "When we were growing up, poverty was normalized around us. We always saw, felt, and grew up with it."

A photo posted by Lee Kyung, spokesperson of Lee Jae-myung's camp, on his Facebook. Photo by Lee Kyung

The 'poverty' debate among presidential candidates arose after Governor Lee's camp released childhood photos of Lee and former Prosecutor General Yoon. On the 7th, Lee's spokesperson Lee Kyung wrote on his Facebook, "Lee Jae-myung's clothes and Yoon Seok-youl's clothes. Thoughts vary according to each person's capacity."

In the black-and-white photo released by the spokesperson, Governor Lee was wearing an overcoat much larger than his body size. In contrast, in the color photo, former Prosecutor General Yoon wore a white dress shirt, a navy jacket, and a red bow tie.

Relatedly, poet Kim Joo-dae also posted the same photos on his Facebook, saying, "In Lee Jae-myung's childhood, I saw poverty in the clean but oversized clothes, and in Yoon Seok-youl's perfectly fitting clothes and bow tie, I saw wealth."

He continued, "Poor people buy big clothes for their children to wear for a long time until they grow up," and criticized, "Yoon Seok-youl could never understand the painful and poignant hearts of those who have to worry about future poverty."

Won Hee-ryong (from left in the photo), Yoo Seung-min, Yoon Seok-youl, and Hong Joon-pyo, the People Power Party's presidential primary candidates, are preparing for the joint debate in the Honam region at the KBS Gwangju Broadcasting Headquarters in Chipyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, on the afternoon of the 11th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The reason presidential candidates emphasize poverty is related to building rapport with voters. Politicians often highlight a humble, approachable image to connect with voters from the common people. This is why politicians visit traditional markets and communicate with merchants.

However, some argue that using poverty as a political tool is inappropriate. Choi, a 20-something office worker, said, "Are poor people good and wealthy people bad? They should compete with policies, but they keep claiming they were 'poor,' which is ridiculous. Anyway, aren't they people who now have wealth that ordinary people can never have even if they work their whole lives? I hope they don't exploit poverty."

On the 8th, Yeomyeong, spokesperson for People Power Party presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo's camp, also criticized on Facebook, "Using poverty as a credential or fashion actually insults the vulnerable."

Experts analyze that the reason presidential candidates emphasize poverty is linked to a strategy to gain votes. Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, "There are more common voters than wealthy ones. Therefore, there is a strategic aspect of emphasizing a common people's image, and making statements aimed at the common people is a strategy to win votes."

Regarding former Governor Won's poverty-related questions to former Prosecutor General Yoon, he said, "It seems intended to criticize Yoon's low sensitivity to the lives of ordinary people."

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