"Going to the district mayor, eating odeng and buying socks"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Cho Won-jin, leader of the Our Republican Party, criticized ruling party presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo's 'holey socks' controversy, calling it a "big scam show in front of the people." He pointed out that Ahn, a wealthy individual, staged the 'show' to create an image of frugality. He also criticized another presidential candidate, Kim Ki-hyun, regarding the 'Park Jin-Kim Yeon-kyung photo controversy,' calling it "Kim Ki-hyun's acquaintance show."
On the 1st, Cho appeared on the YouTube program 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' and said, "He put on a big scam show in front of the people. He took off his socks and said he saved 150 billion won, but isn't Ahn a district lawmaker? When district lawmakers visit local markets, the first thing they eat is odeng (fish cake), and the second thing they buy is socks. Has he not visited local markets?" he criticized.
This implies that he was either neglectful in visiting his district or deliberately staged the 'show' to create a frugal image. He said, "People who know stocks all know roughly what money Ahn used when he donated 100 billion won," and criticized, "But the media does not investigate this."
Regarding Kim, who is competing with Ahn for the party leadership, he said, "He must be so frustrated that he took a photo with singer Nam Jin, whom he barely knows, and when Ahn Cheol-soo was showing off his socks, I think he must be really frustrated."
He added, "We have to watch Ahn Cheol-soo's sock show. We have to watch Kim Ki-hyun's acquaintance show. Is it okay for politics to go like this?" and raised his voice, saying, "We need to remove the bubbles that have been imposed on politicians."
He predicted that although Ahn would gain an 'unexpected windfall' due to former lawmakers Na Kyung-won and Yoo Seung-min not running in the party convention, the result would be "a close race." He compared the collective criticism of Na by first-term lawmakers during her withdrawal process to the drama 'The Glory.' He pointed out, "In the ruling party, there was an irrational group lynching, bullying, and ostracism worse than school violence. Even senior lawmakers, who usually talk a lot, were quiet."
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