Yoon "I Had No Idea It Would Cause Controversy"
Self-Disses While Posting a Photo of His Pet Dog
The scene from last month's 'Chimaek Meeting' between former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol and Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, and the pet dog revealed by former Prosecutor General Yoon / Photo by Yonhap News Agency, SNS
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Yeeun] Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol recently explained the controversy over his "wide-legged sitting" by saying, "People with thick thighs find it uncomfortable to keep their legs together."
In an interview with Busan Ilbo on the 4th, Yoon addressed his habit of sitting with legs wide apart, saying, "If I had known that (the wide-legged habit) would cause controversy, would I have done it? I never thought about it at all," adding, "There were criticisms from younger generations about a lack of public transportation etiquette. I thought such criticism was understandable. But of course, I keep my legs closed when riding the subway," he said.
Previously, Yoon was caught in the media repeatedly sitting with legs wide apart, sparking controversy. On the 25th of last month, during a chicken and beer meeting with People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok, he was seen tilting a beer glass while sitting with legs apart. He also took a wide-legged posture at a press conference held at the Daegu Seomun Market Merchants Association office on the 20th of last month.
When the "wide-legged sitting" controversy arose, on the 4th, Yoon posted a photo on his pet dog's Instagram account, "Torisutagram," showing his dog Mari lying on her belly with her hind legs spread wide, saying, "Wide-legged Mari. Mari can spread up to 180 degrees," and added, "Dad's genetics," in the post.
Yoon Seok-yeol, a presidential pre-candidate, visited the People Power Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 30th of last month. After submitting his party membership application to Kwon Young-se, the chairman of the External Cooperation Committee, he held a Q&A session with reporters. / Photo by Yonhap News
Meanwhile, regarding his controversial remarks such as "120 hours of work per week," "the freedom to choose unhealthy food," and "healthy feminism," Yoon said, "No matter how political it is, it has to be seen as malicious," and added, "People who have watched the full video of the controversial remarks say they understand."
He continued, "If someone points out, 'Isn't this kind of rhetoric a bit inappropriate for a politician?' I would gratefully accept it and consider it good advice from senior politicians, but distorting and interpreting it in a way that differs from the overall context is deceiving and misleading the public," expressing his discomfort.
He added, "Our people are very smart and excellent," and said, "I believe they will understand the overall intent well and make their judgments accordingly."
Regarding the possibility of former lawmaker Kim Jin-tae being appointed as the head of the party's presidential candidate verification team, Yoon said, "I think some people are raising issues because he attacked me a lot during past confirmation hearings," and added, "Now that we are in the same party, I don't think he would go that far; I believe he will conduct the verification neutrally."
When asked if pressure from party leader Lee Jun-seok to board the "primary election bus" influenced his decision to join the party, Yoon replied, "I'm not someone who would follow just because of pressure," and said, "If I was going to join anyway, I thought it would be better to do so in July rather than August."
Regarding the controversy over joining the party while Lee was away on a regional schedule, Yoon said, "We had a mutual understanding about joining the party," and added, "(The controversy) is probably just something made up by people who like to talk."
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