Jang Ye-chan "I Don't Care About Negatives" Lee Gi-in "Also Called 'Dictator Park Geun-hye'"

Jang Ye-chan "Party members send overwhelming support"
Lee Ki-in "Risk of party takeover by people whose appearance and intentions differ"

The conflict among the youth supreme council member candidates running in the People Power Party's March 8 party convention is reaching its peak. Candidate Jang Ye-chan, who recently faced controversy over a web novel, responded by saying, "There is no answer other than such negativity born out of desperation," while candidate Lee Ki-in brought up Jang's past remarks calling Park Geun-hye a "dictator."

At the Daegu-Gyeongbuk joint speech held at Daegu EXCO on the 28th, Jang addressed the Ethics Committee filing, stating, "I am not paying attention to trivial negative issues, and party members are sending overwhelming support," adding, "I trust the party members and the people, and I am steadily doing my part."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He dismissed the criticism that in his past novel "Gangnam Hwata," written under the pen name "Myojae," he sexualized a female celebrity as a negative attack. Jang said, "As seen in candidate Kim Ki-hyun's Ulsan land controversy, low-level negativity aimed at specific candidates has no effect on approval ratings," and added, "I believe party members have made a wise choice."

Youth supreme council member candidate Lee Ki-in took issue with Jang's past remarks calling Park Chung-hee a "dictator," Park Geun-hye "the dictator's daughter," and referring to the Yeongnam region as "Yeongnam stubborn." Lee pointed out, "If people whose words and actions are contradictory become ten or a hundred and dominate the party mainstream, that becomes a different problem."

Starting his speech by targeting Jang, Lee said, "Conservative politics in South Korea has always been like this. Those who blind the eyes and ears of power and alienate public sentiment have risen to power and expelled those who speak out," adding, "It has been a party steeped in complacency and, in times of crisis, resorted to labeling opponents as pro-North."

He continued, "I recall the terrible vicious cycle where those who claimed to be the vanguard defending the president would swiftly flee when the president's approval ratings dropped," and appealed, "To change that predicted future, I ask for your support."