Baek Hyunjin: "Democratic Party's Poor Cosplay? Just a Wry Smile"

Facebook "Political Hypocrisy Digging into the People's Sense of Loss"

On the 9th, Bae Hyun-jin, a member of the People Power Party, criticized the so-called 'politician poverty marketing' that surfaced following the controversy over Kim Nam-guk, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, holding virtual currency. She said, "Did the political world want to personally show what the epitome of poverty porn (poverty porn refers to the sensational depiction of poverty to evoke sympathy) is?" and added, "It makes me give a bitter smile."

On the same day, Bae shared an article on Facebook criticizing Kim for his past 'poverty cosplay,' calling it "the vile hypocrisy of the political arena that digs into the sense of loss of some citizens."

The article mentioned Kim's past appearance on a YouTube program where he said, "I only ate ramen every day, so I don't know about pasta," and reported, "As it was recently revealed that Kim holds a large amount of cryptocurrency, the past 'poverty cosplay' of Democratic Party politicians is being reexamined." Besides Kim, several Democratic Party figures such as leader Lee Jae-myung, lawmaker Jang Kyung-tae, and lawmaker Park Ju-min were cited as examples.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Bae said, "Poverty is something so destructive and fatal that those who have actually faced its reality, especially those who see no light to escape from that swamp, can forget the meaning of living and breathing." She continued, "Those who have witnessed and experienced the severe wounds of their family and themselves never dare to reveal 'I am poor' on their own. Because they know what that painful reality is."

She added, "Poverty is not something to be proud of; it is literally hardship." Bae emphasized, "What our political world must do is, even if it cannot rescue the entire nation, to comfort and uplift neighbors struggling in severe poverty and to change the world so that future generations who grow up can achieve just rewards through their efforts."

Bae criticized, "Even now, many young people are desperately trying every day to escape the frustrating reality given to them," and said, "That arduous effort must never become a tasty treat for anyone."

Bae concluded, "I hope the politicians in this arena who casually wear the shell of hypocrisy under the pretext of empathy can feel remorse," and added, "We must create a path of legitimate achievement where they can have hope, not a vulgar path that imitates others' hardships and pains to extend their political careers."

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