"Real LOL" Lee Jun-seok's Harsh Remarks Toward Ahn Cheol-soo... Will There Be a Backlash on the 'Centrist Voter Sentiment'?

'Friction' Between Ahn Cheol-soo and Lee Jun-seok Over 'Opposition Unity'
Lee Jun-seok's Remarks to Ahn: 'Stagnant Maintenance', 'rlㅋㅋ'... Daily 'Mockery' Under Spotlight
Calls for Restraint Also Arise Within People Power Party
Experts Say "Likely to Negatively Affect Centrist Voter Sentiment"

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, is holding an emergency press conference on the 'merger proposal' announced by Lee Tae-gyu, general director of the People Party, at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 23rd. Lee Tae-gyu, general director, revealed at a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido that he received a merger proposal from Lee Jun-seok on the condition that presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo would withdraw in early February.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, has been escalating his remarks toward Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, regarding the opposition unity issue, intensifying the conflict. The noise that occurred during the unity negotiation phase has been exposed as is, and Lee openly expressed his discomfort, which sparked a 'mockery controversy.' Experts pointed out that harsh expressions should be restrained as they could negatively affect the centrist voter sentiment.

Recently, Lee has been repeatedly seen sharpening his words against candidate Ahn over the breakdown of opposition unity. On the 22nd, Lee shared an article titled "Ahn Cheol-soo, Yoon Seok-youl fled because they were scared of unity... If Yoon gives up, I will achieve regime change" on his Facebook and wrote, "Just type the four letters 'ㄹㅇㅋㅋ' in the comments."

'ㄹㅇㅋㅋ' combines 'ㄹㅇ' meaning 'real' (REAL, truly, really) and 'ㅋㅋ' representing laughter. It was used online to express agreement with the other person's words but is now known as a mocking expression used when one finds it hard to agree with the other’s illogical claims, implying "You are completely right" sarcastically.

Earlier, Lee also caused controversy with his 'legacy of the deceased' remark. On the 18th, when candidate Ahn said at the funeral of the late Son Pyeong-o, a regional election campaign committee member who died in an accident involving the People’s Party campaign vehicle, "We will uphold Comrade Son’s will by doing our best without yielding to any storm," Lee appeared on a broadcast on the 20th and questioned, "The deceased suddenly passed away unexpectedly, but where can we confirm the deceased’s will? Do the drivers of the People’s Party campaign vehicles and buses write wills before entering?"

Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, criticized Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, on the 20th, asking, "How do you verify the deceased's will?" Photo by KBS, captured from 'Sunday Diagnosis Live'.

The People’s Party immediately protested, saying Lee’s remarks were mocking. Yoon Young-hee, deputy spokesperson of the People’s Party election committee, issued a statement titled "Lee Jun-seok, the mocking leader of People Power Party, obsessed with Yoon Seok-youl’s defeat campaign," on the 22nd, expressing displeasure, saying, "Lee’s low-level political behavior is dragging the dignity of Korean politics down to the abyss," and "The more Lee’s propaganda continues, the more Yoon Seok-youl’s defeat will be inevitable."

Kwon Eun-hee, floor leader of the People’s Party, also condemned Lee’s 'legacy of the deceased' remark as a rude comment. On the 23rd, appearing on MBC’s 'Kim Jong-bae’s Focus,' Kwon said, "It is a hateful remark, and it is only natural to apologize to the people for such parts," adding, "It is an unacceptable rude comment in front of the people as a politician."

Within the People Power Party, there were also opinions that Lee should refrain from such remarks. Yoon Sang-hyun, a People Power Party lawmaker, said on the 23rd to Lee Jun-seok, "What is needed now is not your mockery but assistance," and requested, "Please stop mocking candidate Ahn Cheol-soo." He continued, "The purpose of a political party is to create a regime, and as the leader of the People Power Party, Lee is the most responsible person for achieving regime change," emphasizing, "Therefore, instead of excluding the People’s Party, I hope you first extend your hand as a partner for regime change. You are the head of the main opposition party with 106 seats."

Na Kyung-won, head of the People Power Party’s Seoul General Election Headquarters, also mentioned on CBS Radio’s 'One Round Match,' "Shouldn’t we be a bit more restrained?"

Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, is appealing for support while riding an open-top vehicle with Lee Jun-seok, the party leader, on the afternoon of the 15th at Jeolm-eum Street in Seomyeon, Busan.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In this regard, experts pointed out that Lee should be cautious about his remarks and attitude as they could influence the centrist voter sentiment.

Professor Shin Yul of Myongji University’s Department of Political Science and Diplomacy explained, "Recent polls show that the gap in support between candidate Yoon, who had been leading, and Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party is narrowing," adding, "It seems Lee is continuing to make remarks about candidate Ahn to prevent wavering among centrists related to unity. However, raising the level of remarks to the point of mockery controversy is inappropriate as it could affect centrist voter sentiment." He further added, "It would be good if Lee could highlight his image as a young politician by presenting fresh presidential election strategies, but showing only mocking behavior is not good (as a politician)."

Choi Jin, director of the Presidential Leadership Research Institute, said, "Centrists are more sensitive to politicians’ attitudes and tone than ideology," and "Showing a sarcastic or mocking attitude toward the public can have a backlash."

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