Lee Jae-myung's 'Busan Remarks' Controversy: People Power Party Slams Him for 'Inheriting Regional Discrimination DNA'

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung is giving a greeting at a meeting with startup and social venture entrepreneurs from the Busan area held on the 13th at Mumyung Diary in Yeongdo-gu, Busan.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, faced criticism from the People Power Party after he pointed out issues of balanced regional development during his nationwide tour stop in Busan, saying, "Honestly, Busan is boring. No, it is interesting, but in a way, it is not like Gangnam."

Kim Byung-min, spokesperson for the People Power Party's presidential campaign committee, stated in a commentary on the 14th, "This is a disparaging remark about the Busan region, and the underlying intent is quite surprising."

Spokesperson Kim added, "Do you remember when former leader Lee Hae-chan visited Busan and repeatedly made disparaging remarks about the city, wondering why it looked so shabby every time he came? Previously, Park Jae-ho, considered an original pro-Roh figure, shocked people by saying it was pathetic how Busan citizens only worried about the country," criticizing remarks made by past Democratic Party figures.

He continued, "At this point, shouldn't we clearly ask whether candidate Lee Jae-myung is trying to inherit the Democratic Party's DNA of regional disparagement?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Spokesperson Kim criticized, "Although he always talks about the common people whenever he opens his mouth, looking at the administration he led, he thoroughly neglected the common people by drastically reducing public rental housing. This duplicity of candidate Lee is fully reflected in his remarks."

He urged, "We hope candidate Lee immediately apologizes for such disparaging remarks about the region."

During his nationwide tour on the 'Weekly Livelihood Bus' the previous day, candidate Lee held a meeting with Busan-based startup and social venture entrepreneurs. He said, "Busan is boring, honestly," and then added, "Busan is interesting, but in a way, it is not like Gangnam," which sparked controversy.

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