Lee Jae-myung: "Do I only focus on young men in their 20s? I also struggle with young women in their 20s"

Criticism of the "All done?" remark toward sexual minorities met with "It was excessively cold"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, appearing on the YouTube channel 'Dotface.' Photo by YouTube capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, responded to criticism that he is only trying to win the so-called 'I-dae-nam (men in their 20s)' vote by explaining, "I am also struggling with I-dae-nyeo (women in their 20s), not just I-dae-nam." Regarding his remark last December 12 to a young LGBTQ person who called for the enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Act, "Didn’t I do enough?" he admitted, "I was excessively cold-hearted."

On the 19th, Lee appeared on the YouTube channel 'Dotface' and conducted an interview in which he directly answered questions from female voters.

First, Lee addressed feminism, saying, "There is an aspect where feminism or feminists cannot be clearly defined by a single term," and pointed out, "(The term’s implication) is broad, but since it is used as one word, interpretations vary." He added, "In the past, when we thought of 'labor,' there was a time when we associated it with 'communists,' and there was also a notion of it being 'sacred.' Both aspects coexist," and said, "Gender equality remains an important issue that still needs overall improvement."

Regarding conflicts among the younger generation, he diagnosed, "Conflicts arise among those who are struggling in a situation where opportunities are decreasing," and said, "From our generation’s perspective, it is very regrettable."

When asked why he seems flustered when labeled with the term I-dae-nam, Lee laughed and rebutted, "I am flustered not only by I-dae-nam but also by I-dae-nyeo (women in their 20s)."

In response to the question, "There seems to be no gesture of listening to I-dae-nyeo’s stories," he answered, "I saw the conflicts among the younger generation as stemming from inequality and lack of opportunities, so unless the structural problems are resolved, talking about either side fighting within that structure would lead to misunderstandings or unnecessarily intensify conflicts, so I think I kept my distance."

On the necessity of enacting the Anti-Discrimination Act, he said, "A world of freedom and equality must not be ignored in any area. I believe it should be enacted." However, he maintained a cautious stance, saying, "It is not about forced passage. We talk about social consensus, which can be used as a reason to delay the law’s enactment, but I actually believe social consensus is necessary."

Regarding the criticism he received after asking "Didn’t I do enough?" and leaving when young LGBTQ people shouted at him to apologize for saying social consensus was needed for the Anti-Discrimination Act during a lecture at Seoul National University’s Finance and Economics Seminar last December, he bowed his head and said, "I deserved to be judged as excessively cold-hearted."

He continued, "There was a scheduled live debate, and I thought it would be fine to just pass by, but I wanted to hear what they had to say. However, it went on too severely and loudly for too long, so I think I had a somewhat emotional reaction," and added, "I shouldn’t have done that."