Yoon Seok-yeol: "Lee Jae-myung and Chu Mi-ae Criticized Abroad for Disparaging Remarks About Ukrainian President"

"As a Presidential Candidate of the Republic of Korea, Apologizing on Behalf"

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

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] On the 26th, Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, pointed out, "It has come to light that Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, referred to the President of Ukraine as a '6-month novice politician,' which has sparked numerous critical comments."

On the same day, Yoon posted on his Facebook, stating, "A video of our country's presidential debate was uploaded on the famous overseas community 'Reddit,'" revealing this fact.

He said, "Lee's remark that 'a 6-month novice politician became president, declared joining NATO despite NATO's reluctance, provoking Russia, which eventually led to conflict' has become known worldwide," adding, "Following this, posts appeared belittling a foreign national leader, including one by our former Minister of Justice (Choo Mi-ae) calling him a 'comedian-turned president lacking leadership,' and another by the current Minister of Justice (Park Beom-gye) calling him an 'amateur president.'"

Yoon criticized, "This is an international embarrassment and lowers our national dignity," and added, "Instead of comforting another country that has suffered misfortune, making reckless remarks for electoral gain is provoking global outrage."

He also said, "President Zelensky of Ukraine is staying in the capital Kyiv, leading a desperate resistance without fleeing abroad," calling it "an act of mocking the 72% of Ukrainian citizens who support him." He further added, "Blaming Ukraine for Russia's invasion is a serious act of disrespect."

Yoon stated, "We cannot entrust our country's future to politicians who dismiss another country's war as someone else's problem and only pay lip service to peace," and apologized on behalf of himself as a presidential candidate of the Republic of Korea to the Ukrainian people whose pride has been hurt.

During a field campaign in Hongdae, Seoul, Yoon said regarding this, "They compared my 8 months in politics to the Ukrainian president's 6 months, saying that a novice recklessly provoked Russia, causing this war," and added, "This is causing huge criticism in the international community."

He questioned, "Now, Ukrainian politicians have all fled abroad, and the 6-month president is alone, fighting a desperate battle against Russia," and asked, "Can someone who calls a foreign leader to our election battlefield and insults him like this properly handle diplomacy and security?"