Lee Jae-myung Hits Back at Yoon's Remarks, Ruling Party Recalls 'Sister-in-Law Insult'
Dilemma as Criticizing Ruling Party Also Highlights Own Risks
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is struggling to gain momentum as an aggressive figure. Having refrained from direct criticism of the government and ruling party, Lee began to raise his voice gradually after controversies arose over President Yoon Seok-yeol's overseas trips. However, every time Lee escalates his offensive, the People Power Party counters with a 'counterattack' strategy by bringing up Lee's past controversies and allegations. Lee's past actions are blocking his current efforts.
The ongoing fallout from President Yoon's overseas trip controversies presents an opportunity for the opposition party to gain political leverage. Accordingly, the Democratic Party has been intensifying its attacks during the National Assembly's audit sessions starting from the 4th, highlighting problematic aspects of the trips. However, these efforts are met with criticism of "double standards." When Lee targets President Yoon over the 'New York remarks' controversy, the People Power Party retaliates by mentioning Lee's 'insulting his sister-in-law' scandal.
On the 30th of last month, during the party's Supreme Council meeting, Lee directly criticized President Yoon, saying, "Even now, isn't it correct to say 'Biden'? Didn't he use inappropriate language? The public has ears and the intelligence to judge." In response, Sung Il-jong, policy chief of the People Power Party, replied, "I return the same words to Leader Lee. Even now, didn't you swear at your sister-in-law? Didn't you use very inappropriate language?"
A similar scene repeated during the audit. On the 4th, at the National Assembly Education Committee audit, when the Democratic Party focused on allegations of plagiarism against Kim Geon-hee, the People Power Party countered by pointing out that Lee and former Justice Minister Cho Kuk were also involved in plagiarism controversies, accusing the Democrats of "double standards." People Power Party lawmaker Kim Byung-wook said, "We must apply the same standards and moral yardsticks," adding, "We should call for their expulsion from the party as well to avoid double standards."
Recently, the Democratic Party has protested against the Board of Audit and Inspection's request for a written investigation of former President Moon Jae-in regarding the 'West Sea public official shooting incident,' calling it 'blatant political retaliation.' In response, the People Power Party recalled Lee's past remarks. People Power Party lawmaker Kim Ki-hyun appeared on SBS Radio and pointed out the inconsistency between Lee's past and present statements, saying, "Leader Lee even said things like 'It reminds me of Yushin dictatorship,' and stated, 'If clearing out deep-rooted evils and injustices is political retaliation, then such political retaliation should be done all the time.' These are Lee's direct words."
The more Lee intensifies his attacks on the ruling party, the more his own risks are highlighted, placing him in a dilemma. However, there is criticism that raising the opponent's risks as a way to manage controversies or allegations obscures the essence of the issues and only fuels political strife. Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, "Regardless of party, the strategy of highlighting the opposing party's mistakes to cover one's own problems has a limited shelf life," adding, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration's continued references to the Moon Jae-in government are in the same vein, but ultimately, the achievements and failures under the Yoon administration will be attributed to President Yoon himself and will not help increase approval ratings."
He continued, "The Democratic Party's approval ratings are slightly ahead of the People Power Party, but the benefit is still largely incidental," and said, "For the Democratic Party to overcome Lee's dilemma, it must demonstrate that it will not repeat the Moon administration's failures and can be a competent party."
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