Sim Sang-jung, Controversy Over Flood Recovery Photos... Gong Ji-young "What Are You Doing?"

Justice Party "Photo Taken Early in Recovery Efforts"
'Mud-Covered' Tae Young-ho, Future United Party Lawmaker, Draws Attention

Sim Sang-jung, leader of the Justice Party, is engaged in recovery work for landslide damage caused by recent continuous heavy rains at a house in Yongseol-ri, Juksan-myeon, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do on the morning of the 7th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Sim Sang-jung, leader of the Justice Party, posted photos of volunteer work at a flood recovery site but faced criticism for what was seen as a 'showy' gesture. Writer Gong Ji-young also harshly criticized the Justice Party, asking, "What are you all doing?" Netizens continued to criticize Sim’s clean shirt and boots.

On the 10th, Gong Ji-young wrote on her Facebook, "Yesterday, I briefly drove to the flood site in the neighboring area of Gurye. It was so devastating that it was impossible to capture it on camera," opening her statement.

She continued, "When I got home, I spent an hour just cleaning my car," and added, "I couldn’t even get out of the car, but the filth was overwhelming," describing the situation at the time.

Then Gong sharply questioned, "What are you all doing? Those clothes that are spotless without a speck of the filth that splattered on my car?"

Earlier, on the 7th, Sim posted photos from the flood recovery site on her Facebook.

Sim said, "Justice Party lawmakers and staff supported flood recovery efforts at a farm affected by a landslide in Juksan-myeon, Anseong City," adding, "I am always cautious when visiting disaster sites. I worry that I might only be a nuisance without providing real help in urgent recovery situations."

She continued, "I worked hard with the hope of offering even a small comfort to the devastated residents," and shared five photos taken during the recovery work. The photos showed Sim and fellow party member Ryu Ho-jeong moving items covered in mud outside.

Netizens criticized the photos, pointing out that Sim’s clothes and boots were excessively clean, saying things like, "Did you volunteer just to be photographed?" and "Even working properly for 10 minutes at a flood recovery site would dirty your clothes immediately. The gloves and clothes are too clean, which raises suspicion." Following this, Sim deleted all related photos on the 9th.

The Justice Party explained the deletion by saying, "Many citizens commented that posting photos related to disaster support was inappropriate, so the photos were deleted."

Senior spokesperson Kim Jong-chul issued a statement on the 11th, saying, "Sim participated in recovery support activities at a farm affected by a landslide in Juksan-myeon, Anseong City, from 10 a.m. last Friday. Although photos of the recovery support activities were posted, many citizens commented that posting such photos was inappropriate, so the photos were deleted."

He added, "Some media outlets quoted a few comments and wrote articles implying the photos were deleted due to controversy over the cleanliness of clothes and boots, which is very regrettable. The photos were taken briefly at the start of the recovery activities, and the staff who participated were too busy to take proper photos later."

Kim said, "Reports claiming the photos were deleted because of criticism about clean clothes and boots are far from the truth, and we express strong regret over such articles."

A photo of Tae Young-ho lawmaker at the flood recovery site, released by Jo Su-jin, a member of the United Future Party, on Facebook. Photo by Jo Su-jin

Meanwhile, some netizens compared Sim’s appearance to that of Tae Young-ho, a member of the United Future Party.

On the 7th, Cho Soo-jin, a United Future Party lawmaker, posted several photos on her Facebook, saying, "We carried out flood recovery work centered in Chungbuk."

In the photos posted by Cho, Tae was seen wearing a mask and gloves, holding a toilet lid covered in mud. Notably, Tae’s shirt, pants, and boots were all heavily covered in mud.

Tae wrote on his Instagram, "Seeing the muddy water that seemed endless as we kept scooping it out made me feel the loss of the flood victims deeply," adding, "I will also take care to ensure residents of Gangnam-gu can live safely despite the heavy rain." However, Tae did not post any photos showing himself other than those at the site.