Even Cho Kuk Recalls His 'Bow Tie' Childhood... "Lee Jae-myung Seems to Dislike Cho Kuk"

Comparison of Lee and Yoon's Childhood Outfits Sparks Mention of Cho Kuk

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] As photos comparing the childhood attire of Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, and Yoon Seok-youl, former Prosecutor General, continue to attract attention, a childhood photo of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk wearing a bow tie has also been revealed.

Political commentator Kim Soo-min posted on his social media (SNS) on the 8th a brief message saying, "It seems Lee Jae-myung's side secretly dislikes Cho Kuk," along with a childhood photo of former Minister Cho. In the revealed black-and-white photo, Cho is dressed in a neat suit with a bow tie.

This is interpreted as a criticism of Lee Jae-myung’s side, which previously emphasized a 'dirt spoon' image compared to former Prosecutor General Yoon, by pointing out that Cho Kuk grew up more affluent than Yoon.

Childhood photos of Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, and Yoon Seok-youl, former Prosecutor General (from left). / Photo by Lee Kyung Facebook capture

Earlier, Lee Jae-myung’s presidential campaign spokesperson Lee Kyung posted on Facebook childhood photos of Lee and Yoon, writing, "Lee Jae-myung’s clothes and Yoon Seok-youl’s clothes. Looking at the photos, thoughts are as big as each person's capacity."

In the photo, the black-and-white image of Lee shows him wearing somewhat shabby oversized work clothes, while Yoon is wearing a red bow tie, a white dress shirt, and a blue jacket.

This appears to highlight Lee Jae-myung as coming from a 'dirt spoon' background who understands the common people’s sensibility, in contrast to Yoon’s childhood image representing a 'gold spoon.'

In fact, poet Kim Joo-dae posted the photo on Facebook on the 6th, stating, "Poor parents buy clothes larger than their children’s bodies to dress them, while wealthy parents buy clothes that fit their children’s size." He added, "I saw poverty in Lee Jae-myung’s oversized clothes in childhood, and wealth in Yoon Seok-youl’s perfectly fitting clothes and bow tie."

On the other hand, Yeo Myung, spokesperson for the People Power Party’s Hong Joon-pyo presidential campaign, posted on Facebook on the 8th, criticizing, "Using poverty as a specification or fashion rather insults the vulnerable." He added, "While overcoming poverty to succeed can be a great life story, Lee Jae-myung lives as a lawyer and a metropolitan government head in the top 0.1% of South Korea."

He continued, "True to Lee Jae-myung’s worldview that hates the wealthy, his spokesperson’s 'capacity for thought' is less than a broken soy sauce jar."