[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] On the 2nd, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, came out to refute the controversy raised against Yang Jun-woo, spokesperson of the People Power Party, regarding athlete An San, who achieved a triple crown in archery at the Tokyo Olympics. He stated that Yang did not make any misogynistic remarks.
On the same day, Lee appeared on MBC Radio’s ‘Kim Jong-bae’s Focus’ and expressed his position on the controversy involving spokesperson Yang. Lee said, "If spokesperson Yang had even slightly used the concept of misogyny or held inappropriate perceptions about it, I would discipline him," adding, "However, spokesperson Yang has never spoken from a misogynistic perspective." Furthermore, Lee emphasized that Yang’s remarks were his personal opinions expressed on social media, not official party commentary.
Previously, spokesperson Yang posted on his social networking service (SNS), "A foreigner asked An San, ‘Why is your hair short?’ using a translation tool, but this was distorted into a case of Korean men’s misogyny and amplified on the internet," adding, "Although the controversy started from a falsehood, it turned into a real conflict as it was revealed that An San used several terms identified as ‘misandry’ words."
In response, Jang Hye-young, a member of the Justice Party, criticized on SNS on the 31st of last month, saying, "Spokesperson Yang’s perception of this incident is very concerning," and added, "He outright dismissed the use of sexist labeling as fiction, dragged in a random foreigner as one of the causes of the incident, and above all, blamed it on An San for using ‘misandry’ words."
Lee also expressed dissatisfaction with the Justice Party’s attempt to politicize the issue. Referring to Jang Hye-young’s statements, he criticized, "Why did a party like the Justice Party jump in, bring community discourse, and demand the opposing party to make a statement? Especially when the athlete was working hard to win a medal, this is a very disappointing move."
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