"Youth Mocked"... Justice Party's Hyun Geun-taek Directly Hits Back at "Can't a Man in His 30s Earn 30 Million Won?" Remark

"The point where the Democratic Party and Lee Jae-myung clearly become representatives of social vested interests"

Hyun Geun-taek, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea's election campaign committee.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] Recently, Hyun Geun-taek, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea's election campaign committee, sparked controversy by commenting on the asset formation process of presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's son, saying, "If it were normal economic activity, wouldn't a man in his 30s be able to earn 20 to 30 million won?" The Justice Party criticized this, calling it "an act of mocking that goes beyond not understanding the reality of youth."

On the 21st, Kim Chang-in, spokesperson for the Justice Party's election campaign committee, held a briefing at the National Assembly communication center and stated, "Hyun's defense and support of Mr. Lee have gone too far."

Spokesperson Kim explained, "According to Statistics Korea, 73.3% of young people receive a first monthly salary of less than 2 million won after getting a job, and the 2022 Seoul-type living wage announced by the Seoul Metropolitan Government is 2,250,094 won per month," adding, "Three out of four young people start their working life with a salary that does not even meet this minimum living cost." He raised his voice, saying, "Is it the reality of youth that Candidate Lee perceives when he says it is abnormal if one cannot earn 30 million won?"

He also criticized Hyun's rebuttal to the claim that Candidate Lee gifted money knowing it would be used for illegal gambling, saying, "What parent would give money to a son who gambles?" and that he himself could give about 50 million won to his 30-year-old son. Kim said, "No matter how much one loves their child, how many families can just give 50 million won? This is not a matter of affection for one's child but a matter of the level of awareness of inequality in our society," emphasizing, "This clearly shows that the Democratic Party and Candidate Lee have been representing the vested interests of our society."

He also pointed out, "Hyun once gave an absurd explanation that the reviews of establishments left by Mr. Lee on internet communities 'might have been heard from a friend,'" adding, "While his loyalty is understood, thanks to this, only distorted loyalty remains for Candidate Lee, and there will be no public sentiment."

Earlier, Hyun appeared on TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' on the same day and rebutted Kim Yong-nam, the standing public relations special advisor of the People Power Party, who raised the issue that "Mr. Lee, who had no income, increased his deposit amount by about 88 million won in one year, and while the 50 million won gift tax deduction is understandable, the increase in the rest of the assets cannot be explained."

Hyun said, "If it were related to criminal activity, it would naturally be a problem, but if it is normal economic activity, can a man in his 30s not earn that much?" and questioned, "(Candidate Lee's son) is 30 years old. Would he have done nothing and just idled all this time?"

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