"Ijunsuk Reacts to 'Ilbemoli' and 'Park Geun-hye Kids' Attacks: 'The Ruling Party's Language Is Too Harsh'"

Lee Jun-seok, Leader of the People Power Party. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] In response to criticism from the Democratic Party of Korea against Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, who advocated for the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Ministry of Unification, Lee fired back, saying, "Which ruling party in any country has such harsh language?"

On the 12th, Lee posted on his Facebook, "The opposition leader's legitimate criticism of the uselessness of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Ministry of Unification and the small government theory is met with accusations of being part of Ilbe, references to Park Geun-hye's kids, being told to study, mass shootings, and gender sensitivity. This is just descending into nonsense," he criticized.

He continued, "Someone please respond normally with arguments for 'big government theory' or 'usefulness of the Ministry of Unification,'" adding, "If this is the level of response when the opposition leader speaks, how will the general public be treated when they propose policies?" He pointed out, "The people and intellectuals want to see the country run without seasoning and brute force."

A post by Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, on his Facebook on the 12th. Photo by Lee, leader's Facebook capture.

Earlier, Lee had commented on former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min and People Power Party lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung, who declared their presidential candidacies and pledged to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, saying, "Something like the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is the worst way to solve women's issues," and "If someone is going to be a presidential candidate later, I hope they make that pledge properly."

On the 10th, he also wrote on Facebook, "Just as having a Ministry of Gender Equality and Family does not resolve gender conflicts, having a Ministry of Unification does not particularly bring us closer to unification," adding, "Rather, gender conflicts worsened while the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family existed, and although I don't know what the Ministry of Unification has actively done under this government, the inter-Korean joint liaison office managed by the Ministry of Unification was blown up," he pointed out.

The Democratic Party of Korea responded by rebutting Lee's 'small government theory.' Kang Byung-won, a Supreme Council member, said in a statement titled 'Lee Jun-seok's Aggravating Politics' that "Lee's 'aggravating politics' is a spectacle," and "Cornered by his theory to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Ministry of Unification, which stems from a poverty of philosophy, he pulled out the long-outdated 'small government theory' to escape," mocking him. On the same day, Kim Young-bae, also a Supreme Council member, said at the party's Supreme Council meeting, "Seeing him repeatedly recite the outdated 'small government theory,' I think he is not only Park Geun-hye's kid but also MB's avatar," and criticized him as a "typical Ilbe-style thinker."