Some Male-Centered Communities Oppose "Femi Broadcast"
Controversy Arises After Lee's Appearance Cancellation
Jang Hye-young Criticizes as "Absurd and Ridiculous"
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, is reported to have reversed his decision to appear on the YouTube channel 'Cereal,' which mainly covers issues related to women, youth, environment, and other social minorities. In response, Jang Hye-young, a member of the Justice Party, criticized this move. However, Lee's camp explained that the appearance on 'Cereal' was only under internal review.
On the 29th, Representative Jang posted on Facebook, saying, "What’s wrong with Cereal?" and raised her voice, stating, "There should be limits to being swayed by anti-feminist agitation."
She continued, "How can you stigmatize and denounce the hard work of people who have been producing content that makes us face the unequal reality of our society with just a few words and unilaterally notify them of the cancellation of the appearance? The more I think about how unpleasant and absurd it must have been from the producers’ perspective, the more ridiculous it seems," she pointed out.
Kang Min-jin, leader of the Youth Justice Party, also posted on Facebook the same day, saying, "Candidate Lee has appealed for support by posting on anti-feminism communities including 'FM Korea' and directly shared posts from DC Inside demanding the removal of feminism on social networking services (SNS). It seems that in Lee’s 'youth communication' efforts, there is the voice of anti-feminism but no voice of feminism. This cancellation is a rude decision not only to the Cereal production team but also to the young citizens who expressed their willingness to participate in the program," she criticized.
Earlier, on the 27th, the Cereal team announced on Facebook, "A self-help meeting for people disappointed with the presidential race will be held. Candidate No. 1 Lee Jae-myung will join this meeting," revealing the news of Lee’s appearance.
However, when news of Lee’s appearance on 'Cereal' became known, some male-centered online communities such as DC Inside opposed it, saying, "He should not appear on a feminism-leaning YouTube channel."
In response, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-guk posted directly on DC Inside on the 28th, saying, "We truly value the opinions you have given, so I will make sure to convey them without omission to the senior in charge of scheduling. And we will ensure that this is discussed seriously."
It was later reported that Lee’s broadcast appearance was canceled. However, according to multiple media reports including Yonhap News, Lee’s appearance on 'Cereal' was only under internal review by the staff level and was not a confirmed schedule.
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