Jin Joong-kwon "Not People Power but Namgeun Power?" vs. Lee Jun-seok "Cut It Out"

Opposition Spokesperson: "The Core of Ansan Controversy is the 'Namhyung Term'"... Jin Joong-kwon Calls it a "Major Accident"

Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 1st, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, and former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon, who have previously engaged in feminism debates, exchanged heated arguments regarding the controversy surrounding An San (20, Gwangju Women's University), the triple gold medalist in archery at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Earlier, Yang Jun-woo, spokesperson for the People Power Party, posted on Facebook on the 30th of last month, pointing out that the online attacks against An San began with a fictional controversy but turned into a real conflict as it was revealed that An had used several terms identified as misandrist (male hatred) language.

He stated, "The core of the controversy lies in the 'use of misandrist terms' and criticism of radical feminism," adding, "We need to push out the voices of the extreme factions and find the intersection between women and men to heal this conflict. The world has become too exhausting. I regret that even Olympic heroes are no longer free from this sharp conflict in society."

In response, the next day, former professor Jin criticized on his Facebook, saying, "The spokesperson selected through Lee Jun-seok's debate battle has made a huge blunder," and questioned, "Is this something that should come from the spokesperson of a political party?" Yang was chosen as spokesperson through the People Power Party's 'I am the National Team' debate battle.

Yang countered, "It is problematic to deliberately see only what you want to see," and explained, "What I talked about was a criticism of some politicians who selectively pick only the 'shortcut' from the start of this controversy and replace it with 'hatred against women'."

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party. [Photo by Yonhap News]

Later, Jin posted again on Facebook, sarcastically asking, "Is it the Power of the Penis rather than the People Power?" and mocked, "The spokesperson of the Power of the Penis seems to understand the word 'hate' merely as 'hatred,' 'contempt,' or 'insult'."

He added, "Derogatory or insulting expressions toward a specific group do not automatically become 'hate speech.' Only when such expressions pose a risk of leading to concrete discrimination and violence against a particular population group are they called 'hate speech,'" and criticized, "It is troubling that someone who lacks this common sense is serving as a spokesperson for a political party."

In response, Lee commented on the post, "Enough already. You'll get suspended from Facebook again. What is this 'Power of the Penis' joke..."

Photo by Facebook screen capture.

Then, Jin asked whether Yang wrote the problematic post under Lee's direction, to which Lee replied, "I may nag the spokespersons to appear more on broadcasts, but I never instruct them to assert specific opinions. The essence of Lee Jun-seok is that he is a lazy person."

Jin retorted, "'Spokesperson' means someone who speaks on behalf of others. If they are neither representing the party nor the leader, then was that person expressing a personal opinion?"

Lee responded, "Even if Lee Jun-seok wrote 'Jin Joong-kwon is a fool' here, I wouldn't think that represents the party," and added, "When Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin writes humorously on SNS, that is not the official stance of Shinsegae. Everyone can distinguish that well, so why can't you and why are you overreacting?"

Lee further said, "It is nonsense that the Justice Party demands Lee Jun-seok to 'clarify his position' when he hasn't said a word in the first place."

Meanwhile, Lee and former professor Jin had previously engaged in heated exchanges on social media regarding issues such as the gender quota system during the June 11 party convention phase.