Yeo Party Deputy Spokesperson: "Samsung Eocheonga Makes Me Want to Vomit"... Opposition: "What About Moon Bi-eocheonga?"

Park Jin-young, Deputy Spokesperson, "Is paying inheritance tax, which should naturally be paid, a commendable act?"
Opposition: "Frowning at behavior that belittles even the right thing"

Jinyoung Park, Senior Deputy Spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Deputy Spokesperson Park, captured from Facebook.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Park Jinyoung, Deputy Spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed opposition to the pardon of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong on the 29th, saying, "I feel like vomiting because of the 'Samsung Eocheonga'." In response, the opposition party pointed out, "Before talking about the 'Samsung Eocheonga' with slander and sophistry, you should first be wary of the 'Moonbieocheonga'."

On the same day, Deputy Spokesperson Park wrote on his Facebook post regarding the Samsung family's payment of the world's highest level of inheritance tax, "Is it such a great thing to say that they will pay the inheritance tax that they are legally obliged to pay?"

He said, "Why is Samsung's inheritance tax the highest in the world? It means that the Samsung family holds more shares than global companies with higher sales," and criticized, "Have you fundamentally forgotten the dark history of collusion between politics and business, and the squeezing of workers and subcontractors?"

He continued, "What was the reason for collecting so many artworks? Could it possibly be because of taxes or inheritance?" and raised suspicion, "Why is the media making such a fuss? Why did the public opinion poll on Lee Jae-yong's pardon suddenly appear?"

Deputy Spokesperson Park also said, "This is different from Park Geun-hye's pardon. It is a typical claim of 'no punishment for the privileged.' Personal corruption and company management should be separated," adding, "Did the media that incites the 'Samsung Eocheonga' and Lee Jae-yong's pardon receive concentrated advertising? I am completely opposed to Lee Jae-yong's pardon."

When Deputy Spokesperson Park's remarks led to a 'controversy over slander,' he posted again, saying, "'Feeling like vomiting' is a physiological reaction, and 'making a fuss' is found in the dictionary. It is not a harsh expression. Please do not frame it as slander."

He added, "In the midst of all the praise for Samsung, is even opposition written on a personal SNS censored like this?" and sarcastically said, "Is this the Samsung Republic?"

Photo by Park, Deputy Spokesperson, Facebook capture.

In this regard, the opposition party raised their voices criticizing Deputy Spokesperson Park, saying, "Before talking about the 'Samsung Eocheonga' with slander and sophistry, how about being cautious of the 'Moonbieocheonga' with refined language?"

Hwang Kyuhwan, full-time Deputy Spokesperson of the People Power Party, said in a statement, "It seems that Deputy Spokesperson Park cannot express his opinion without resorting to low-level language," and criticized, "This time, he made narrow-minded criticisms such as 'feeling like vomiting' and 'making a fuss' about Samsung's donations and inheritance tax payments, and when media reports followed, he defended himself by saying it is an 'expression found in the dictionary.'"

He continued, "Not only does he refuse to apologize when he should, and not praise when he should, but even invoking the 'dictionary' makes him look exactly like former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae," adding, "The public frowns upon this old-fashioned behavior of disparaging even the right things with slander and sophistry when pointing out mistakes would suffice."

Hwang also said, "Moreover, there is no consideration of why the media is focusing on Samsung's donations and inheritance tax payments, and he continues to blame the media based on his own absurd conspiracy theory, which is typical of this administration that only blames others without self-reflection."

Furthermore, he said, "The ruling party's deputy spokesperson, who should read and respond to the media and public sentiment, is only blaming the media with sophistry and failing to reflect on their own faults," and directly attacked, "In the recent by-elections, the public judged not only the government's incompetence but also the old-fashioned and slanderous behavior shown by people like Deputy Spokesperson Park."

Earlier, during the April 7 by-election campaign, Deputy Spokesperson Park caused controversy by referring to the People Power Party's Seoul mayoral candidates' pledges as 'raw sh*t pledges.' Last year, he also sparked a stir by describing former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon as 'Ye-hyung' from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a figure known for being harshly criticized.

Meanwhile, Deputy Spokesperson Park, who began his political activities through 'Nosamo' in the 2000s, served as spokesperson for the National Balanced Development Committee under the Moon Jae-in administration. Since May last year, he has been serving as a full-time deputy spokesperson for the Democratic Party.