"IU = Lee Ji-eun, How Many People Know?"
Lee Jun-seok: "Not Knowing Public Sentiment Is the Reality of Conservatism"
Jang Ye-chan, a candidate for the Youth Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, has been embroiled in controversy over allegations that he sexualized singer IU (real name Lee Ji-eun) in a web novel he wrote in the past. Amid this, Seo Min, a professor at Dankook University College of Medicine and the election campaign committee chairman for Jang's party convention camp, came to Jang's defense, saying, "How many people would even know that IU is Lee Ji-eun?"
In a statement issued in his capacity as committee chairman that day, he said, "Let's distinguish between fiction and reality. No one got upset over the drama 'The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family' for portraying the Samsung chairman as a criminal," adding, "Although our country is somewhat like a Taliban state that considers using sexual expressions a bigger crime than depicting a specific person as a murderer, it is absurd to attack a web novel rather than group chat conversations or social network service (SNS) posts."
In particular, Professor Seo countered former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok's claim that Jang's novel was an 'erotic novel' by saying, "The novel written by Jang is not an erotic novel." He continued, "This novel was rated suitable for readers aged 12 and above, and there were no objections when it was serialized. Let's not fall for the scheme to slander it as a sexual novel by exaggerating only certain parts without even reading it."
He added, "This People Power Party convention is a place to select a person who will lead next year's general election to victory and support the success of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. Therefore, the main criterion should be who can do this job better," and said, "Yet the convention keeps degenerating into a mudslinging fight mainly because of the involvement of a low-quality politician named Lee Jun-seok."
Former Representative Lee Jun-seok wrote a Facebook post attaching a screenshot image of the comment in response to Professor Seo Min's criticism. [Image source=Screenshot from Former Representative Lee Jun-seok's Facebook]
Meanwhile, in response to Professor Seo's criticism, former leader Lee Jun-seok wrote a Facebook post attaching a screenshot of the comment. In the post, Lee said, "IU uses her real name when appearing in dramas, so no one would not know it," and interpreted, "Conservatives remember the names of unknown conservative YouTubers whom the public does not know, but treating IU's real name, which many people know, as if it were unknown reflects the disconnect between the current conservative political circle and public sentiment."
Jang Ye-chan Criticized as "Low-level Scheme" Over 'Sexual Objectification' Novel Controversy
Jang Ye-chan, Chairman of the Youth Foundation, Issuing a Statement Criticizing Former Representative Lee Jun-seok Photo by Yonhap News
According to a report by OhmyNews the previous day, candidate Jang Ye-chan published a fantasy martial arts novel titled 'Gangnam Hwata' under the pen name 'Myojae' from April 2015 to December 13, 2016. The story involves a 29-year-old male Korean medicine doctor who treats a female actress suffering from an incurable disease through sexual intercourse and later dates a female singer who had vocal cord problems after treatment.
The media pointed out that characters in the novel evoke real female celebrities such as IU. The novel includes lines like "Lee Ji-eun blushes as she perfectly hits the triple high notes" and "I'm in my dream - im - im -," which is part of the lyrics of 'Good Day,' famous for its triple high notes. Lee Ji-eun is IU's real name.
Jang, who labeled the report as a "low-level scheme," stated on Facebook the previous day, "Did I use obscene language in essays like Tak Hyun-min, or sexually harass female celebrities in comments like Lee Jae-myung's son?" and added, "I never thought I would be attacked over the content of a novel."
Former leader Lee Jun-seok, who opposes Jang while supporting youth supreme council member candidate Lee Gi-in, launched an active offensive. He wrote on Facebook, "If you touch IU's fandom, the general election becomes risky. Being an erotic novel writer is something one can do to make a living, but it would be problematic if IU's fandom moves."
He later posted screenshots of parts of the novel, sarcastically saying, "Sorry to IU fans. Please don't hate the People Power Party. It's just the actions of one candidate." He also wrote, "I don't understand how this work was rated suitable for ages 12 and above."
In response, Jang said, "It's even more absurd that former leader Lee, who was sent for prosecution on suspicion of false accusations related to a sexual bribery case, is nitpicking over the content of a fantasy novel," and retorted, "Was it perhaps Lee who tipped off OhmyNews? I wrote a fantasy novel, but I don't drink at room salons bought by others, whether in Daejeon or anywhere else. He should be ashamed."
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