"Now It's Time to Catch Rats," Says Lee Jae-myung... Yoon Seok-yeol Warns, "If You Act Out, I'll Call the Hunting Dogs"

Clash Over Daejang-dong Allegations Using Proverbs and Official Exams

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate (left), and Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential pre-candidate
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Yoon Seok-yeol, the preliminary presidential candidate of the People Power Party, engaged in a war of nerves by exchanging classical idioms and poems.

On the 19th, Lee posted on his Facebook with the classical idiom "Taesanmyeongdong Seoilpil" along with the phrase "Now it's time to catch the rat." This idiom means "The mountain shook as if it would collapse, but only a rat came out," metaphorically expressing that despite loud announcements, the actual result is insignificant.

Some interpret this as a jab at the People Power Party, which the day before had declared at the Gyeonggi Province audit that they would uncover the "Lee Jae-myung Gate," but failed to reveal any significant suspicions.

Candidate Yoon counterattacked by quoting Jeong Yak-yong's poem "Inohaeng." On the same day, he posted on his Facebook titled "Dasan Jeong Yak-yong to Candidate Lee Jae-myung," stating, "Jeong Yak-yong once sharply satirized the reality where thieves and officials who should catch thieves collude, by comparing them to rats and cats bribed by rats in his poem 'Inohaeng.'"

He continued, "At the end of last year, the Blue House disparaged the prosecution's indictment of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk as 'Taesanmyeongdong Seoilpil,' and now Candidate Lee uses the exact same phrase to describe the Daejang-dong Gate," sarcastically remarking.

Yoon concluded his post by saying, "I want to share the last verse of Dasan's poem with Candidate Lee." The last verse of "Inohaeng" he mentioned reads, "You ride a large carriage arrogantly, only enjoying being supported by swarms of rats. Now I will mount a big arrow on a red bow and shoot you directly to death. If the rats cause trouble, I will rather call the hunting dogs."

This has led to analysis that Candidate Yoon intends to launch a focused offensive against Candidate Lee, who is embroiled in the "Daejang-dong suspicion."