Lee Jun-seok's First Message 'Bibimbap Coexistence'... "We Must Break Free from the Obsession with '~-ness'"

On the 11th, at the People Power Party Central Party Office in Yeouido, Seoul, candidates Na Kyung-won and Lee Jun-seok are waiting side by side for the results announcement of the party representative election held at the party convention. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] The first message from Lee Jun-seok, the newly appointed leader of the People Power Party, was "coexistence." Using bibimbap as a metaphor, he emphasized the need to let go of the obsession with "being oneself."

In his acceptance speech on the 11th, Lee said, "What I want to emphasize most is coexistence." He explained, "The most appetizing state of bibimbap is sometimes when more than ten toppings each maintain their own texture, taste, and color while being placed on top of the rice. If all the ingredients of bibimbap were ground up and placed on the rice, it would be a dull color and the eating experience would be unthinkable. To avoid grinding down the toppings of bibimbap, we must shed stereotyping, that is, the obsession with 'being oneself.'"

He added, "Politics that creates a single stereotype within fixed ideas and forces people to follow it must disappear. Just as emphasizing 'femininity' to women is a violence that crushes individual personality, I hope we do not grind down precious individualities in our society?like eggs, spinach, and bracken?by forcing someone to be youthful, experienced, or sometimes to be like a party leader."

He also proposed party unity. Lee said, "There have been countless slanders, harsh criticisms, and fake news about me. I will not hold anyone responsible, and no one has a personal reason to apologize to me. There is no need to be anxious thinking that someone might suffer disadvantages."

He further pointed out, "We must be tolerant of young people expressing their opinions, and the barbarism of blindly starting with insults just because a presidential candidate is not supported by oneself must disappear."

He presented concrete plans as well. Lee said, "The first change I will promote is the detailed design of qualification exams for public office candidates and the open competitive selection of spokespersons through debate battles and speech contests. By June, we will select two spokespersons and two full-time deputy spokespersons through debate battles."

He continued, "Perhaps a 20-year-old college student without electoral rights might stand in the National Assembly press conference room and deliver our party's message. A woman with excellent ability who has faced difficulties due to career breaks might be fairly selected to explain our party's positions and policies on current affairs broadcasts."

Lee emphasized, "These rough ideas about change that I speak of, the anxious looks of traditional party members watching them, and the public observing us will see our challenge for change as a fierce battle like a war. Through this change, we will transform and achieve victory."