Yoon with feet on train seat... Ruling party criticizes "Result of arrogance, sense of privilege, and ignorance"
Yoon: "Due to leg cramps... I was not careful enough"
Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, was captured placing his feet with shoes on an empty train seat, sparking controversy. Photo by Facebook screen capture.
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, sparked controversy after raising his feet on a seat while wearing shoes on a train. On the 13th, Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, apologized, saying it was "wrong regardless of the circumstances."
In a post on his Facebook page that afternoon, Lee said, "I will be more careful in the future to pay close attention to even these kinds of details."
He began by saying, "Our candidate expressed regret regarding the photo of him putting his legs on the chair during the operation of the 'Passion Train.'"
He continued, "As can be seen from various photos reported before and after the operation, the seat in question is a space where the candidate and I sit facing each other and talk. While I briefly went to the broadcasting car for about 10 minutes, the candidate, who had leg cramps from sitting knee-to-knee with me for nearly an hour, raised his legs briefly while talking with the staff."
Lee also said, "We cleaned the seat thoroughly ourselves before returning the chartered train in Mokpo," and apologized again, saying, "We are sorry for causing concern."
Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, boarded the 'Passion Train' for policy pledge promotion at Suncheon Station in Jeollanam-do on the afternoon of the 12th and is answering questions from the press. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Earlier that day, a photo of candidate Yoon raising both feet on an empty train seat while wearing shoes was released, prompting fierce criticism from the ruling party. The photo was taken while Yoon was touring the Honam region on the 'Passion Train,' a policy pledge promotional train, on the previous day (the 12th).
Park Chan-dae, chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party's presidential campaign committee, said in a written briefing, "Yoon's shoeed feet are the result of arrogance, a sense of privilege, and ignorance," adding, "As the saying goes, you can tell a lot from a little; this clearly shows how he has lived his life." He further criticized, "Yoon, who has lived only as a prosecutor, blatantly shows his elitist mindset and arrogant attitude toward the world."
Democratic Party lawmaker Lee So-young also directly criticized on Facebook, "Since he can't sit with legs apart sideways, is he going to stretch them straight ahead now? Putting feet on a chair while wearing shoes is disrespectful to citizens."
Lee said, "Is the chartered train Yoon's living room? I am shocked every time by his bad manners and ignorance. You can see a life lived with privilege and authority," adding, "Taxi no-mask, now the stretched-out train. The watching public feels ashamed and distressed."
Democratic Party lawmaker Ko Min-jung also posted on Facebook alongside a photo of Yoon, saying, "It's embarrassing if anyone sees this. People Power Party presidential candidate."
As the controversy grew, candidate Yoon issued a statement through the People Power Party's campaign publicity team, saying, "Due to light leg cramps from long hours of travel, I asked for understanding from my aides and briefly raised my legs," and added, "I regret the lack of attention to detail."
Meanwhile, the 'Passion Train' is a chartered Mugunghwa train with four cars rented by the People Power Party, planned to facilitate communication with residents of small and medium-sized cities that the candidate finds difficult to visit directly.
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