Jeong Cheong-rae "If you hate Cheongwadae, go to 'Jeokwadae'"... Kim Yong-tae "Embarrassed by such frivolous remarks"

Photo by Jeong Cheong-rae, captured from Facebook

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, mocked President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's plan to relocate the presidential office to Yongsan by saying he was turning the Blue House into a "Red House."

On the afternoon of the 25th, Jeong posted on Facebook, "If you really dislike the Blue House... how about changing the roof color to red, renaming it the Red House, and moving in? What if we ask him... How would that be? The country and the people are too anxious," along with a photo of the Blue House with a red roof.

In response, Kim Yong-tae, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, criticized, "I am embarrassed to see content on the Facebook of a three-term lawmaker that seems like a humorous post from an internet community. The level is too frivolous."

He continued, "Anyway, there are hardly any citizens expecting dignity or exemplary behavior from Representative Jeong Cheong-rae, but does he want to engage in politics by mocking the president-elect with such childish posts?"

He added, "Don't indulge in such unfunny mocking politics for self-satisfaction," and said, "I hope he becomes a politician who thinks about people's livelihoods even half the time he spends thinking up such mockery."

Jeong Cheong-rae, Democratic Party of Korea member. / Photo by Yonhap News

In response, Representative Jeong said, "The logic that a three-term lawmaker shouldn't write posts that netizens might write on internet communities seems too old-fashioned," and added, "Isn't this looking down on and belittling netizens? How about apologizing to the netizens?"

He continued, "Netizens are citizens, lawmakers are citizens, everyone is the same citizen. Should the words of netizen citizens and lawmaker citizens necessarily be different? Should the thoughts of netizen citizens and lawmaker citizens be different?"

He also emphasized, "I think the sharp and lively words, writings, and thoughts of netizen citizens are often much sharper than those of lawmakers, so there is much to learn, and we should not belittle netizen citizens like this."

Meanwhile, President-elect Yoon announced on the 20th that he plans to move into the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Regarding the choice of location, Yoon explained, "The Yongsan Ministry of National Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff area is equipped with national security command facilities, so we can fully return the Blue House to the citizens, and there will be almost no inconvenience to citizens caused by security measures."