Kim Nam-guk "Shared Handmade Hamburger on Blind Date"... Jeong Yu-ra's Scathing Remark After Reading Post

Some Criticize, "Seems Like Trying to Pretend to Be an Ordinary Person"

Independent lawmaker Kim Nam-guk posted a message implying that he shared a handmade burger with a blind date because the price was burdensome, which led to criticism from some netizens accusing him of "poverty cosplay."

Kim recently wrote on his X account, "A post recently appeared on a community saying 'I really dislike a man who chose a pork cutlet restaurant as the first meeting place for a blind date,'" adding, "I reflect on this. I had a blind date at a handmade hamburger shop near Express Bus Terminal Station on Line 3, but the burger was too big and a bit expensive, so we ordered one and shared it. I wonder how much you cursed me as I went in."

Independent lawmaker Kim Nam-guk is attending the full meeting of the Education Committee held at the National Assembly on August 25 last year. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The story about the "man who chose a pork cutlet restaurant as a blind date location" mentioned by Kim was recently a hot topic on social networking services (SNS). According to the content, a woman named A, who received a blind date proposal, was asked by the man if she had any favorite food or restaurant. When she replied, "Any well-known restaurant you know is fine," the man recommended a pork cutlet restaurant. A expressed discomfort with the man's reaction.

The story was previously reported by a media outlet, and some criticized it for "promoting misogyny."

However, netizens' reactions to Kim's post were cold. Comments such as "It seems like a post desperate to show that he is down-to-earth" and "How can you agree with such baseless, inflammatory hate speech?" were common.

Jung Yoo-ra, daughter of Choi Seo-won (formerly Choi Soon-sil), also criticized Kim. On the 23rd, she posted on Facebook a screenshot of Kim's X post, saying, "Is this right for an aunt who owns 6 billion won worth of coins? I can only say this is ridiculous," and added, "I understand the concept is a 'left-wing politician who knows the fear of money,' but suggesting to share a hamburger with someone you just met is disrespectful to both the blind date organizer and the other party."

This is not the first time Kim has faced accusations of "poverty cosplay." Last year, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission revealed through a full investigation of virtual assets held by 21st National Assembly members that Kim had accumulated large-scale virtual currency transactions over three years.

Regarding this, Yoo Sang-beom, a member of the People Power Party, criticized, "The public is speechless at the hypocrisy of the 'weakness cosplay' shown by someone who owns coins worth 6 billion won, yet claims to wear 'worn-out cheap sneakers' and begs tearfully for donations saying 'Please give me a penny.'" In response, Kim rebutted, "I have lived frugally my whole life; are you saying I have been cosplaying for 40 years?"