Late Roh Hoe-chan's 'Janchi Guksu Post' Later
Becomes a 'Meme' in Some Political Circles
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was brought to trial on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, received a suspended prison sentence in the first trial, which results in the loss of his parliamentary seat. Following this, some conservative-leaning YouTubers attracted attention by eating 'janchiguksu' (banquet noodles) to celebrate.
The day after Lee's suspended sentence was announced, on the 16th, a popular conservative YouTuber with about 160,000 subscribers held a live broadcast and celebrated by saying, "I will eat janchiguksu." Conservative netizens flooding the chat and comments also sent congratulatory messages such as "Today is the day to eat janchiguksu" and "All the old burdens have been lifted, and I feel relieved."
The keyword 'janchiguksu' trended throughout the day within conservative circles. Conservative YouTuber 'GoseonggukTV,' who hosts a KBS morning current affairs program, also aired a broadcast titled "At least 1 year imprisonment for Lee Jae-myung, janchiguksu is on me."
A photo of Janchi-guksu posted on June 16 by Lee Su-jeong, the head of the Suwon-jeong division of the People Power Party in Gyeonggi. Photo by Lee Su-jeong Facebook
Meanwhile, Lee Su-jeong, the People Power Party's Suwon-jeong district committee chair in Gyeonggi Province, posted a photo of janchiguksu on her Facebook with the caption "We held a feast." However, it is known that Lee held a pre-announced party member recruitment event on that day.
Eating janchiguksu on celebratory occasions such as weddings and birthdays has become a representative Korean cultural practice, but in politics, janchiguksu carries a special meaning. It is sometimes used as a meme within certain political circles.
The origin dates back as far as seven years ago. The late Roh Hoe-chan, then floor leader of the Justice Party, posted a photo of himself eating janchiguksu on March 10, 2017, the day the Constitutional Court ruled to impeach former President Park Geun-hye, on social media.
On the day the impeachment decision against former President Park Geun-hye was made, the late Roh Hoe-chan, former Justice Party lawmaker, ate janchi-guksu. His post was the beginning of the 'janchi-guksu' meme. Photo by X capture
At the time, he wrote, "Finally ate janchiguksu. I ate two servings, including one for those who can't have lunch today," and added, "I will strive to designate March 10 every year as Candlelight Citizen Revolution Memorial Day and eat janchiguksu." Roh was known as a noodle enthusiast.
After his 'janchiguksu post' gained fame, both political camps have called for janchiguksu whenever a major event occurs. Ironically, the janchiguksu meme has recently been used more frequently by conservatives than progressives. In September last year, Jang Ye-chan, then the youngest supreme council member of the People Power Party, posted a photo holding a bowl of janchiguksu on social media after the National Assembly plenary session passed a motion to consent to Lee's arrest, writing, "We won the battle against the 'Gaeddal' (a nickname for Lee's supporters)."
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the "3rd National Action Day to Condemn Kim Geon-hee and Yoon Seok-yeol's State Power Abuse and Demand a Special Investigation," held near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on the afternoon of the 16th. Photo by Yonhap News.
Kim Jae-won, a supreme council member of the People Power Party, also shouted on July 15 at a joint party speech held at the Yu Gwan-sun Gymnasium in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, "On the day Lee Jae-myung goes to prison, I will give each of you a bowl of janchiguksu."
Meanwhile, Lee held an outdoor rally near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on the 16th. The rally was attended by a large number of opposition leaders, including Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party.
At the podium, Lee said, "Lee Jae-myung is alive and well to greet you. I have followed the path opened by President Roh Moo-hyun," and expressed his determination, saying, "Let's clearly show them that we are the masters of the world."
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