Apologize to the Dog? Yoon Seok-yeol Adds Fuel to Fire Over 'Jeon Du-hwan Defense'... Party Leadership 'Distressed'

After Apologizing for Defending Jeon Du-hwan, Posts Photo Giving 'Apple' to Dog on SNS
Deletes Post Amid Criticism Asking "Do You See the People as Dogs?"
Primary Rivals Launch Fierce Attacks... Yoo Seung-min Says "Not Qualified to Be President"

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's pet dog 'Tori's social networking service (SNS) account (Photo by Tori Instagram capture)

[Asia Economy Reporters Bomryeong Geum and Juni Park] Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol has become embroiled in the most explosive issue since entering politics. On the 22nd, not only the Democratic Party of Korea but also the leadership of his own People Power Party and his primary rivals all unleashed strong criticism against him. The trigger was his 'remarks defending Jeon Du-hwan,' and when controversy arose, Yoon only expressed regret rather than an apology, which further fueled the fire. Subsequently, Yoon’s campaign released posts that cast doubt on the sincerity of the 'apology,' causing the controversy to spread uncontrollably. Primary competitors within the party such as Hong Joon-pyo, Yoo Seung-min, and Won Hee-ryong launched full-scale attacks, and even the People Power Party leadership expressed frustration over the 'difficult-to-handle' situation. Attention is focused on whether this will become a variable in deciding the final presidential candidate, just two weeks away.

On the night of the 21st around midnight, Yoon’s campaign posted a photo on the social media account of his pet dog showing Yoon giving an apple to the dog. Below the photo was the caption, "He likes Indian apples because he resembles his dad." This account is known to be managed by campaign staff. Since the post was uploaded on the same day Yoon made his 'apology' regarding his remarks defending Jeon Du-hwan, criticism poured in such as "Does he see the people as dogs?" and "Is the apology meant to be given to dogs?" The post was deleted within an hour. However, there had already been public opinion that the apology was reluctant, and this post only added fuel to the fire.

Primary rivals did not miss the opportunity and launched fierce attacks. Kwon Seong-ju, spokesperson for former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min’s campaign, criticized, "We are witnessing a candidate unlike any we have experienced before. A bizarre candidate who makes forced apologies in front but mocks behind has absolutely no qualifications to be the president of the Republic of Korea." Yeomyeong, spokesperson for Hong Joon-pyo’s camp, also said, "Former Prosecutor General Yoon has mocked both the people and party members," and questioned, "Is a candidate who treats citizens as dogs because they 'do not understand criticism' suitable to be the People Power Party’s presidential candidate?" Shin Bora, chief spokesperson for former Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong’s campaign, pointed out, "This will have irreversible aftershocks."

The People Power Party leadership is also taking the seriousness of the situation gravely. Party leader Lee Jun-seok posted on Facebook that morning, "I woke up to something beyond common sense... I feel conflicted." After Yoon’s remarks about Jeon Du-hwan, Lee had visited Honam to soothe public sentiment. Even Kim Jae-won, a Supreme Council member who had defended Yoon, sighed and said "I find it puzzling" when asked about the 'apology photo' on the radio that day. Criticism from the ruling party continued. Former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon directly attacked on Facebook, saying, "I am dumbfounded whether this is mockery toward the people or insensitivity to the world," and urged, "Stop pretending to be a presidential candidate." Democratic Party floor leader Yoon Ho-jung joined in, saying, "Yoon’s shallow bottom has been fully revealed." The Justice Party also raised their voices of criticism, with leader Yeo Young-guk stating, "It shows that even his mask does not resemble a human face at all," and presidential candidate Shim Sang-jung questioning, "Is it even appropriate for a candidate who should first pass a personality cut-off to hold a spot in the presidential primary?"

As the fallout continued, Yoon’s campaign issued an official statement saying, "The Tory Instagram account is usually used as a communication tool that personifies and ironically expresses things," and "The staff lightly posted the photo, admitted the mistake, and immediately took it down," attempting to contain the situation. However, since the campaign posted two consecutive posts likening the 'apology' to giving an apple to a dog, it seems insufficient to quell the issue. The day before, they had posted a childhood photo of Yoon with the phrase, "Seok-yeol hyung still likes apples the most among fruits." This post was also deleted.

With the main primary election scheduled for the 5th of next month just two weeks away, these negative developments are piling up for Yoon. However, there are opinions that it is necessary to observe the situation further to see if the series of controversies will lead to a drop in his approval ratings. Professor Park Sang-chul of Kyonggi University’s Graduate School of Political Studies analyzed, "This will be a difficult variable to overcome. It is not a momentary mistake but a result of lacking basic political fundamentals in Korean politics." On the other hand, Um Kyung-young, director of the Era Spirit Research Institute, predicted, "Looking at the issues surrounding Lee Jae-myung, the final candidate of the Democratic Party, even though they were larger and more serious than this photo controversy, he ultimately won the party primary," and added, "Supporters will not be shaken by this level of controversy."