"Empty Bank Account, Please Give a Penny... Embarrassed to Show the President" Controversy Over Ruling Party Lawmakers' Fundraising Campaign

A photo posted by Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, on his Facebook on the 27th, publicly soliciting donations. Photo by Jeong Cheong-rae

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Following Kim Yongmin of the Democratic Party, fellow party member Jeong Cheong-rae also launched a public fundraising campaign, saying "Please give even a penny."

On the 27th, Jeong posted on his Facebook, "My bank account is empty, so my heart feels lonely," and appealed for support, saying, "I will work even harder from now on, so please give even a penny."

Jeong then disclosed his legislative activities, stating, "(As a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee) there have been many achievements such as clearing pro-Japanese remnants in schools, eradicating private school corruption including at Dankook University, exposing abuses of power and human rights violations by professors and teachers against students, investigating ghostwriting of theses by foreign students, and protecting thesis copyrights. I have also proposed over 60 bills on media reform, prosecution reform, and political reform."

He added, "For the success of the Moon Jae-in administration, I have been appearing on fixed programs such as TBS Kim Eo-jun's News Factory, MBN Pandora, and KBS Sasageon-geon as an unpaid and unappointed Blue House spokesperson, enduring hardships while dealing with nonsensical remarks," and said, "I will fulfill my role as a legislative machine."

In a subsequent post, Jeong said, "I cannot hold my head up," and appealed again for support: "I earnestly requested donations, but only 161 people have participated, and there has been no news since. We still need 1,000 more participants. Kim Nam-guk boasts that he has reached his goal, but I am even embarrassed to meet the President."

Along with the post, Jeong also shared a photo of himself bowing his head. In the photo, there is a nameplate reading 'National Assembly Member Jeong Cheong-rae ddd' and a calendar featuring President Moon and his wife Kim Jung-sook smiling together.

A post by Kim Yong-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, appealing for support on an online community on the 16th./Photo by Online Community Capture

Earlier, on the 16th, fellow party member Kim Yongmin posted on an internet bulletin board mentioning prosecution reform and political reform, saying, "I shamelessly ask for your support."

Kim said, "While busy preparing for the National Assembly audit and responding to current issues, I am encouraged by the thought of a reformed prosecution system. But in reality, we lack operating funds, and my staff and I are starving. I am tired of kimbap every day. I shamelessly ask for generous donations."

In response, on the 22nd, People Power Party lawmaker Jo Su-jin shared Kim's fundraising appeal on her Facebook, sarcastically commenting, "The uses of prosecution reform seem to be quite diverse."

On the 27th, Jo also posted a screenshot of Jeong's Facebook post, criticizing, "The difference between the two (Kim Nam-guk and Jeong Cheong-rae) is whether they shout the slogan 'Moon Jae-in government's prosecution reform' or not. Those who shouted for the Moon administration's prosecution reform say their coffers are full. The world is truly strange."

As news of the ruling party lawmakers' fundraising efforts spread, netizens responded critically, saying things like, "I thought a National Assembly member could receive donations, but being this blatant is disgraceful," "It's really easy for lawmakers to make money," "They have no shame," and "Their shamelessness knows no bounds."