Yeo Election Committee Spokesperson: "Grateful for Comparing Kim Geon-hee to Michael Jackson"

Lee Kyung "Spoke Only About Freedom of Expression for Artists"
Opposition "Not Satire or Humor, Personal Attacks, Low Quality"

Lee Kyung, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea's election campaign committee, commented on the controversy surrounding singer Ahn Chi-hwan's new song "A Woman Who Resembles Michael Jackson." From left to right in the photo are spokesperson Lee, host Noh Young-hee, and spokesperson Yang Jun-woo of the People Power Party. Photo by YouTube channel "News Tomato" capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Singer An Chi-hwan's new song "A Woman Who Resembles Michael Jackson" has sparked controversy as it reminded people of Kim Geon-hee, the spouse of Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate. In response, Lee Kyung, spokesperson for the Democratic Party's election campaign committee, stated, "We should be grateful for the comparison to a great musician."

On the 15th, Lee Kyung appeared on News Tomato's "No Young-hee's News Inside" and, when asked about the issue, said, "Personally, I do not view it positively when artists satirize someone's appearance," but added, "Being compared to such a great musician like Michael Jackson is something we should rather be thankful for."

Lee further commented, "I don't think the comparison to Michael Jackson itself would have been unpleasant," and said, "There was no forgery of career or academic background, and it’s not like there was no plastic surgery. I think (Ms. Kim) looks prettier after plastic surgery compared to her past face."

In response, Yang Jun-woo, spokesperson for the People Power Party who appeared on the same broadcast, said, "Our position is that satire and humor should be freely exercised in the political arena. However, that does not mean satire and humor are sacred and beyond criticism." He criticized, "Satire and humor should sharply point out contradictions in politicians' actions or policy gaps, but the lyrics only contain derogatory remarks about appearance. This level of personal attack cannot be considered satire."

Lee responded, "If a politician made such a comparison, they deserve criticism. But since we are currently discussing freedom of expression for artists, I am speaking in this way," countering the criticism.

Meanwhile, as the controversy over his song grew, singer An stated, "Interpretation of the song is up to the listener." On the 14th, he posted on his YouTube channel, saying, "The abuse of power happened just a few years ago. The dark shadow of power that made the entire nation despair. This song was made like a talisman out of the urgent feeling that this nightmare could repeat," and added, "I hope my feelings are fully conveyed to the people."

However, An clarified, "I want to make it clear that I hope there is no misunderstanding about one thing," explaining, "The phrase 'One such person is enough' in the last part does not refer to Michael Jackson, but to the secret influential figures of the Park Geun-hye administration who are currently in prison."

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