Lee Jae-myung's Remarks on 'Yeonpyeongdo Flower Crab Rice'... Ruling Party Calls It "Marine Corps Insult," Opposition Says "Nitpicking"

Kim Eun-hye: "Turning Yeonpyeong Island into the setting of 'Asura'..."
Democratic Party: "Nitpicking... Shameless"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated that "if the night of the December 3rd insurrection had continued, Yeonpyeong Island would have become a flower crab meal in the deep sea," prompting the People Power Party to criticize him for "belittling Yeonpyeong Island and insulting the Marine Corps."

Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the "Joint National Rally of Five Opposition Parties Urging the Dismissal of Yoon Seok-yeol for Ending the Internal Rebellion and Protecting Democratic Governance," held at Anguk-dong Intersection, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 1st. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 1st, Lee participated in the "National Rally to Demand the Dismissal of Yoon Seok-yeol for Ending the Insurrection and Protecting Democratic Governance" and said from the podium, "If the night of the December 3rd insurrection had continued, somewhere in the deep sea near Yeonpyeong Island, it would have become a flower crab meal," referring to President Yoon's martial law as "a historic reactionary act where ruthless individuals who betrayed the people and the nation mobilized the police and military forces entrusted by the people to threaten the citizens."

In response, the People Power Party reacted immediately. Bae Jun-young, a member of the National Assembly representing Incheon Jung-gu, Ganghwa-gun, and Ongjin-gun, where Yeonpyeong Island is located, issued a statement the next day saying, "We have received complaints from many Yeonpyeong Island residents and soldiers, as well as residents of Ongjin-gun, the Coast Guard, and the Marine Corps, who felt insulted," adding, "Lee’s remarks belittling Yeonpyeong Island as a blind spot for security and public safety clearly reveal how he usually disregards the West Sea Five Islands. Furthermore, his comments show a lack of consideration for Yeonpyeong Island residents whose main livelihood is flower crab fishing."

He continued, "This echoes the past behavior of the Democratic Party government, which covered up the incident involving a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who slipped and drowned near Yeonpyeong Island," and urged, "Lee should retract his remarks immediately and apologize to the residents of Ongjin-gun who continue their livelihoods quietly amid security threats, as well as to the Coast Guard and Marine Corps soldiers who steadfastly protect Yeonpyeong Island."

He also said, "As a Yeonpyeong Island lawmaker and a citizen of the Republic of Korea, I strongly condemn Lee’s remarks," raising his voice again by sharing some of the protest messages received from soldiers: "Sir, I am a soldier serving in Yeonpyeong Island. Lee Jae-myung’s comment calling Yeonpyeong Island a flower crab meal insulted the residents, the Marine Corps, and the flower crab fishing livelihood. I am truly angry. Strong condemnation is necessary. This is an insult to the residents of Ongjin-gun and the Marine Corps."

Assemblywoman Kim Eun-hye also criticized Lee’s remarks on Facebook, saying, "What kind of mindset does a person have to dare to use the country’s sorrowful sea on a day dedicated to honoring the noble spirits for such a dreadful slander that is hard to even speak of?" She added, "The sea, which should be remembered for their sacrifice and dedication through the movie 'Battle of Yeonpyeong,' was turned into the setting of the long-forgotten movie 'Asura.' Thanks to that, the 'Yeonpyeong' of soldiers and islanders who perished before they could even fully bloom was overshadowed all day by the 'flower crab meal' controversy."

In response, the Democratic Party called it "nitpicking." They said, "It is the height of shamelessness to try to twist the opposition leader’s remarks to protect Yoon Seok-yeol and pin the blame on him." Deputy spokesperson Lee Na-young stated in a commentary that "it is absurd to claim that pointing out the heinous crime of trying to 'collect and dispose of' the people's representatives in the National Assembly is an insult to the residents of Ongjin-gun and the Marine Corps," and demanded, "It is Bae who should kneel and apologize to the residents of Ongjin-gun and the military personnel."

She added, "Normally, one should be too ashamed to even raise their head, but instead, they are trying to boast loudly. I have never seen such shameless people. Do they think it is right to die because they tried to stop the president’s closed-mindedness and arrogance?" She questioned, "With just Yoon Seok-yeol’s insurrection alone, the People Power Party has lost the right to stand before the people. What have they done to defend the insurrection ringleader and incite insurrection?" She also pointed out that "Yoon Seok-yeol provoked North Korea and tried to trigger a localized war without regard for the lives of the people and military personnel," raising her voice by saying, "The one who insulted the military and the people was the insurrection ringleader Yoon Seok-yeol."