Lee's 'Booster Kick' vs Yoon's 'Uppercut'... Presidential Candidates Clash Through Performances

Showing kicking and uppercut moves at campaign site
"Isn't it political retaliation?" vs "Don't overinterpret"

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, is demonstrating a kicking move during a focused campaign rally titled "The New Future of Jeonbuk, Jeonbuk at the Center of Balanced Development!" held in front of Jeonbuk National University in Jeonju, Jeonbuk on the 19th. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Ahead of the 20th presidential election, as the two major parties intensify their election campaigns, Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, and Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party candidate, clashed through 'performances.' When Yoon showcased an 'uppercut' pose during a street rally, Lee responded with a so-called 'booster kick' move.

On the 19th, at a street rally held in front of Jeonbuk National University in Jeonju, Jeonbuk Province, Lee said, "I will deliver a strong kick to the small COVID-19," demonstrating a high kick.

He added, "Jeonju is famous for its culture and economy, and also for soccer. When I was governor of Gyeonggi Province, I was the owner of Seongnam FC, but we repeatedly lost to Jeonbuk Hyundai," and said, "I will shoot cleanly to express that grudge."

This performance later became known as the 'booster kick.' After the high kick, Lee shouted, "COVID-19 has been knocked down to the abyss."

Regarding current quarantine guidelines, he said, "If the situation changes, the response must also change," and argued, "Since lockdowns are ineffective, rather than struggling to block it, it is much better to thoroughly prepare for the problems that arise. Starting from the 10th of next month, I will negotiate with the government to immediately lift restrictions for those who have received three booster shots, allowing 24-hour business operations."

Lee's booster kick move appears to be a response to Yoon's earlier 'uppercut' pose. Since the official start of the election campaign on the 15th, Yoon has been performing the 'uppercut ceremony' at campaign sites.

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, responds to supporters' cheers with an uppercut ceremony during a campaign rally held on the afternoon of the 15th at Jeolm-eum Street in Seomyeon, Busan. / Photo by Yonhap News

At a street rally in Seomyeon, Busan, when supporters threw red paper airplanes, Yoon expressed gratitude with an uppercut motion and passionately said, "Is Busan boring? When I get off in front of Busan Station, my heart races. Busan is such a fun and wonderful place."

Supporters responded enthusiastically. Photos and videos capturing Yoon performing the uppercut gesture were shared on social media platforms like Facebook and various online communities. Positive comments such as "Looks like a cheerleader," "Feels like the World Cup," "There’s a campaign buzz," and "Seems sincere" followed.

However, voices of criticism arose from the ruling party regarding Yoon's uppercut gesture.

Democratic Party lawmaker Jin Seong-jun appeared on JTBC’s current affairs program 'Ssulzun' on the 16th and questioned, "Isn't the uppercut a move used to deliver a punch to someone? If it doesn’t mean hitting someone, then what does it mean?" He pointed out, "Most of Yoon’s campaign content criticized the Moon Jae-in administration, emphasized judgment, or regime change, and at the end, he threw an uppercut while declaring victory."

He added, "If we assign meaning, it means he intends to deliver a blow to the Moon Jae-in government," and claimed, "It means he plans to carry out political revenge as he promised."

In response, People Power Party lawmaker Sung Il-jong, who appeared on the same program, said, "They keep framing Yoon as seeking political revenge, but he just made a very reasonable statement," and drew a line by saying, "There is no need for over-interpretation."

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