"Finishing a Bowl of Rice as an Idea Level"... Despite Josujin's Explanation, 'Relentless Offensive'

On the 5th radio show, as an alternative to the Grain Management Act,
the proposal to 'Eat a Full Bowl of Rice' was made,
with Choo Mi-ae saying, "For the ruling party and government, drink Ssalmokgeolli Bombju."

On the 5th, Jo Su-jin, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, personally stepped in to manage the situation after her remark on 'finishing a bowl of rice' as a measure to address rice prices sparked controversy in political circles. Jo explained, "It was introduced as an idea that came up during the party's livelihood special committee meeting," but the opposition launched a barrage of attacks.

On the same day, Jo posted on Facebook, "(At the first meeting of Livelihood 119) ideas such as a campaign to finish a bowl of rice, visiting sites producing powdered rice products like rice bread and rice cake were proposed to promote rice consumption," adding, "I regret the distortion of the true intent of my remarks, which were meant to introduce some ideas from the meeting, into propaganda and agitation."

She also said, "Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, once conducted a rice consumption promotion campaign, including making rice pizza, during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam in 2015," and urged, "Please do not turn ideas for livelihood into political strife."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier that day, Jo sparked controversy by saying on KBS radio that the Livelihood 119 committee discussed alternatives to the Grain Management Act, which President Yoon Suk-yeol vetoed for the first time, including "finishing a bowl of rice." She said, "Many women tend not to eat rice well due to dieting. However, compared to other foods, rice actually has lower calories," and added, "It is necessary to actively inform people about this and encourage a shift in public perception."

The Livelihood 119 special committee also distanced itself from the idea, saying it was not seriously discussed at the first meeting on the 3rd. Committee member Lee said, "We had a casual conversation without any formal procedure, and one person mentioned it as an idea; it was not formally proposed as an agenda item," adding, "No one responded positively, nor was there any discussion about it."

"Tzuyang would be a better party leader" ... Criticism spreads inside and outside the party

However, criticism continued not only from the opposition but also within the ruling party. Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok said, "If you oppose the Grain Management Act and suggest the alternative is to 'finish a bowl of rice' campaign, can this be considered a competitive alternative?" He criticized, "It’s getting worse and worse. It’s a downward spiral."

Assemblyman Kim Woong posted on Facebook, "The leadership is 100% focused on what to eat. Eating chicken and beer at 4 p.m., gathering at the cafeteria in the morning to eat school meals while talking about livelihood, eating convenience store lunch boxes, and now saying to finish a bowl of rice," adding, "Maybe it would be better if Tzuyang became the party leader." Assemblyman Heo also criticized, saying, "The Supreme Council member risk is worsening; it has reached a point where it can no longer be overlooked," targeting statements by Supreme Council members Kim Jae-won and Jo.

Party leader Kim Ki-hyun remained reserved and appeared to be trying to manage the controversy. After meeting the British ambassador to Korea at the National Assembly that morning, Kim told reporters about Jo’s remarks, "How can that be a measure? Policies should resonate with the public, but I don’t think she meant it that way."

The Democratic Party launched a crossfire against Jo. Lee Jae-myung, Democratic Party leader, expressed surprise at the Supreme Council meeting, saying, "Is it true that the rice price measure is 'eating one more bowl of rice'?" Former Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae launched a fierce attack, saying, "Rather than a secret strategy telling women to eat one more bowl of rice, it would be a better strategy to tell the president, prime minister, and party leader who are heavy drinkers to drink 'Dangjeong-yong’s rice Makgeolli bomb cocktail.'"

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