'Contaminated Water Discharge' Conflict Peaks... Opposition: "Yoon, Stop Your Silence" Ruling Party: "Lee Jae-myung, Shampoo Is Japanese"

Start of Japan's Contaminated Water Ocean Discharge
Opposition Blames Government and Ruling Party... Calls for Yoon's Impeachment
Ruling Party: "Shampoo Fairy Lee Jae-myung, Only Anti-Japan Agitation with Words"

As Japan began discharging contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, political clashes between the ruling and opposition parties intensified. The Democratic Party of Korea highlighted the responsibility of the government and ruling party by demanding President Yoon Suk-yeol's stance on the Fukushima contaminated water discharge, while the People Power Party brought up allegations of 'private use of Gyeonggi Province corporate card' against Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party.

Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung and floor leader Park Kwang-on, among others, are picketing to condemn the Japanese government's discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima at an emergency party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 24th. Photo by Yonhap News

Park Kwang-on, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at the policy coordination meeting on the 24th, "We strongly demand that the president and government designate this issue as a major agenda between Korea and Japan and start consultations with Japan," urging, "President Yoon must stop his silence."

Kim Min-seok, chairman of the Democratic Party's Policy Committee, also pointed out on the same day, "If we cannot stop the contaminated water and cannot even receive compensation, what is the reason for the president's existence?" He criticized, "If the president and government side with Japan, destroy our people's livelihood, refuse compensation, and block contaminated water compensation with our money following the abandonment of Japanese wartime compensation, then they have no reason to exist."

Within the Democratic Party, there were even calls to impeach President Yoon. On the 22nd, Kim Yong-min, a Democratic Party lawmaker, proposed on his Facebook that impeachment proceedings be initiated against President Yoon for responsibility over the Fukushima contaminated water ocean discharge.

Jang Ye-chan, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party. Photo by Jang, Supreme Council Member Facebook

The People Power Party responded in kind. On the 24th, Jang Ye-chan, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, raised allegations of private use of corporate cards by Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, at the Supreme Council meeting. Jang held up a bottle of Japanese shampoo reportedly used by Lee and criticized, "Lee Jae-myung, the shampoo fairy, who stirs anti-Japanese sentiment with his words, but is pro-Japanese with his hair?"

Previously, whistleblower A, who exposed allegations of misuse of Gyeonggi Province corporate cards by Lee’s spouse Kim Hye-kyung, claimed in a media interview that "I ran errands all the way to Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam, to buy Japanese shampoo used by Lee."

Jang said, "Is it the image of a competent administrator to send public officials, who are paid with taxpayers' money, all the way to Cheongdam-dong just to run errands for Japanese shampoo?" He raised his voice, saying, "A stock investment enthusiast who pretends to be uninterested in money, who sets lavish tables with Gyeonggi Province corporate cards but pretends to eat only rice with salt, who uses Japanese shampoo but pretends to be anti-Japanese?ordinary citizens want to impeach Lee Jae-myung’s hypocritical politics."

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