President Yoon's 'Profanity Controversy' Viewed from Three Perspectives within the People Power Party

Criticism of Media and Opposition for Raising 'Mad Cow Disease Incident' and 'Lee Jae-myung's Profanity'
Hong Joon-pyo and Yoo Seung-min Urge Apology, Saying "Lies Breed Lies"
Lee Jun-seok 'No Response' to Claims of Yoon Saying 'I××, J××' in Private

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee arrived at Seongnam Seoul Airport on the afternoon of the 24th after completing their visits to the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. They waved their hands as they disembarked from Air Force One. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The controversy over the profanity uttered by President Yoon Seok-yeol during his overseas trip has caused confusion within the People Power Party as well. Some lawmakers claimed that media reports on President Yoon's remarks were distorted and that he did not actually use profanity. They even revived past controversies over Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, accusing the opposition of lacking the right to criticize. On the other hand, criticism arose over the presidential office’s explanation that the word was not "Biden" but "nallimyeon," calling it "adding fuel to the fire."

On the 21st (local time), as President Yoon was leaving the 7th Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund held in New York, USA, a moment was captured on camera where he seemed to say, "If these ×× in the National Assembly don’t approve, what will Biden do, feeling embarrassed?" In response, Kim Eun-hye, the chief spokesperson, explained that the actual word was not "Biden" but "nallimyeon," and that "National Assembly" referred not to the U.S. Congress but to "our opposition party."

◆ Pro-Yoon faction counterattacks by mentioning 'Mad Cow Disease Incident' and 'Lee Jae-myung’s Profanity'

Pro-Yoon lawmakers within the party defended the presidential office’s explanation and launched a barrage of criticism against the media that led the coverage of President Yoon’s remarks, accusing them of "distorted reporting." Former floor leader Kwon Seong-dong wrote on Facebook on the 24th, "MBC, which was the starting point of the fabricated agitation over mad cow disease in 2008, was the same this time," and pointed out, "They tried to cognitively manipulate the public by annotating a single ambiguous phrase with the worst wording."

They also counterattacked by recalling the controversy over Lee Jae-myung’s profanity toward his sister-in-law. Former floor leader Kwon said, "If we were to pick one person in politics who cannot discuss the dignity of language, it would be Leader Lee," and criticized the Democratic Party, which labeled this trip a "diplomatic disaster," as "truly 'double standards on profanity.'" Lawmaker Jo Su-jin also posted articles related to Lee’s sister-in-law profanity on Facebook, writing, "This is the real profanity!"

There were also claims that President Yoon did not use profanity at all. Lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin shared a YouTube link, saying, "A university specializing in voice research removed as much noise as possible from the audio." She emphasized that the audio clearly says, "These people in the National Assembly don’t approve, and if they 'nallimyeon,' what will we do, feeling embarrassed," and that there was no "××" or "Biden." Lawmaker Park Soo-young also said, "I was dumbfounded by the controversy surrounding MBC’s report on the president’s private remarks. The left interprets it as '××, Biden,' and the right as 'these people, nallimyeon,' each believing their own interpretation and commenting accordingly."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is arriving at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul on the morning of the 26th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ Hong Joon-pyo and Yoo Seung-min criticize the presidential office: "Lies are worse than foul language"

On the other hand, Hong Joon-pyo, mayor of Daegu, and former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min, who competed against President Yoon in the last party primary, demanded an apology rather than an explanation. Mayor Hong said, "If you lie to avoid a difficult moment, lies beget more lies and the problem grows," adding, "When an incident occurs, you must always confront it head-on. Even if belated, you must admit mistakes and manage the situation; dragging it out only loses public trust."

He lamented, "Before the presidential election, I said that if Lee Jae-myung became president, the country would collapse, and if Yoon Seok-yeol became president, the country would be in chaos. The current state of the country is regrettable."

Former lawmaker Yoo also said, "The entire nation had to repeatedly replay the video, wondering 'Is my ear wrong?'" He warned, "Since it’s his own words, the president knows. Lies are worse than foul language. Once trust is lost, nothing works. The emperor with no clothes is only a subject of ridicule."

◆ Lee Jun-seok, who claimed "someone calls me ×× ××," remains silent

While various opinions emerged from the ruling party regarding this controversy, former leader Lee Jun-seok remained silent. The term "××" is the same expression Lee previously claimed President Yoon used to refer to him in private. At a press conference on the 13th of last month regarding a provisional injunction lawsuit over the party’s emergency committee transition, Lee said, "Throughout the presidential election process, I had to work hard to make president someone who called me '×× ××'." Attention was focused on how Lee would respond to this controversy.

However, on the 25th, Lee only posted on Facebook, "If you truly worry about the country, joining the party is the answer," and made no other remarks. Given the high level of criticism toward President Yoon’s remarks and this trip, it seems he judged there was no need to add his voice.

Meanwhile, on the morning of the 26th, President Yoon said in response to the profanity controversy, "Damaging alliances through false reporting puts the nation in great danger." This stance aligns with some pro-Yoon lawmakers’ claims that "media reports were wrong." There was no apology regarding the presidential office’s explanation that the profanity was directed at "our National Assembly."