Yeo Kwon In-sook: "Lee Jae-myung's Son's 'Misogynistic' Expression, Regrettable but Ordinary"

"Need to Consider How to Judge and Resolve Such Behavior"

Kwon In-sook, Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Kwon Insook, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, described the fact that Lee Mo, the eldest son of presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, wrote 'misogynistic' posts on an online community as "very regrettable" but also "somewhat ordinary."

Kwon, who serves as co-head of the Democratic Party's Election Committee Gender Equality Advisory Group, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Hanpanseungbu' on the 16th.

During the broadcast, when former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon asked, "Mr. Lee left numerous misogynistic remarks on the bulletin board. Could you comment on this phenomenon?" Kwon responded, "We have experienced such remarks many times, so it is very regrettable but also somewhat ordinary."

She added, "How the candidate judges and tries to resolve such behavior is something we need to seriously consider. We have had many discussions with the candidate about these kinds of social phenomena and the way people in their 20s live and express themselves. I believe these issues will remain very important tasks moving forward."

Earlier, the Chosun Ilbo raised allegations of illegal gambling based on about 200 posts made by Lee, the candidate's son, from 2019 to July 2020. According to the media outlet, Lee wrote about his experiences with potentially illegal online and offline gambling under the nickname 'I want to win' during this period.

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is speaking at the 1st meeting of the Special Committee for COVID-19 Crisis Response held at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 17th. / Photo by Yonhap News

There were posts mentioning losing large sums of money in illegal gambling games without any betting limits, and he reportedly referred to himself as a 'gambling addict' and 'gambler.'

Among these, Lee is also known to have posted numerous misogynistic and sexually explicit comments.

In response, the candidate issued a statement on the 16th saying, "I apologize for my son's wrongdoings," and "The person who joined the card game site mentioned in the media reports and posted the messages is indeed my son," bowing his head.

He continued, "My son is deeply reflecting on his actions and is suffering greatly. I have advised him that taking proper responsibility is the way to alleviate that suffering. As a father, I sincerely apologize along with my son to those who were disappointed by his disgraceful behavior."

He emphasized, "We will ensure that such incidents never happen again," and "He will also receive treatment."

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