Andong Yurim Society Holds Press Conference in Front of the National Assembly
"Lee Jae-myung, Whose Hometown Is Andong, Should Also Apologize"
"We strongly condemn candidate Kim Jun-hyeok's outrageous remarks, and at the same time, we strongly demand that he immediately offer a sincere apology for his mistakes, withdraw from the National Assembly candidacy, and that the party take corresponding measures."
On the 9th, one day before the April 10 general election, elderly men wearing traditional robes gathered in front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. About 50 representatives from Andong Confucian groups, including the Confucian Culture Promotion Association, held a press conference criticizing candidate Kim.
According to Yonhap News and others, the Promotion Association pointed out, "If the content of the book had merely been an interesting historical figure story of a one-time nature, we might have tried to understand it, but candidate Kim has crossed the righteous path without hesitation and reached the point of shamelessly insulting revered ancestors with unfounded facts."
They continued, "Someone who claims to be a specialist on King Jeongjo surely knows how much King Jeongjo respected and admired Teacher Toegye, yet candidate Kim has made such outrageous remarks without restraint and continuously, which the direct descendants of Teacher Toegye and democratic citizens cannot help but condemn."
They added, "We strongly condemn such outrageous remarks by this candidate, and at the same time, we strongly demand that he immediately offer a sincere apology for his mistakes, withdraw from the National Assembly candidacy, and that the party take corresponding measures."
Lee Jae-up, chairman of the Andong Confucian Promotion Association, said, "If candidate Kim is elected as a member of the National Assembly, the Andong Confucian community will continue to fight," and added, "As an Andong native, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, who nominated candidate Kim, should apologize, and candidate Kim must immediately resign."
On the same day, Lee Jeong-won, the 14th-generation descendant of Jinseong Lee, a descendant of Toegye Yi Hwang who came from Andong, raised his voice, saying, "Even if candidate Kim is elected, the Andong Confucian society will continue to fight," and "Lee Jae-myung, who is also from Andong, should apologize as an Andong native."
After the press conference, they moved to the Democratic Party central headquarters to continue their protest.
Representatives of the Andong Confucian community read a statement on the afternoon of the 9th in front of the National Assembly, urging the resignation of Kim Jun-hyeok, the Democratic Party candidate from Suwon Jeong, Gyeonggi Province, who is known to have used expressions such as "sexual relationship supreme" regarding the scholar Toegye Yi Hwang. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Earlier, candidate Kim was reported to have used expressions such as "there is a story that Teacher Toegye Yi Hwang was the supreme figure in sexual relations" in his book "History of the Frontier, Volume 2," published in February 2022.
"All those who share the will of Kim Byung-il, director of Dosan Seowon," issued an urgent statement on the 8th, saying, "We hope candidate Kim immediately clarifies the basis of his claims," and added, "Baseless and absurd claims are an unacceptable verbal violence that insults Teacher Toegye Yi Hwang without grounds."
Meanwhile, candidate Kim has also faced demands for withdrawal from women's groups due to past remarks suggesting possible sexual relations between former President Park Chung-hee and Japanese military comfort women, as well as comments about female Ewha Womans University students providing sexual favors to U.S. military personnel.
Regarding this, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung shared a video on his social media on the 8th defending candidate Kim's past remarks, writing, "We must not close our eyes to historical truth," but deleted the post within an hour.
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