Controversy Over 'Height-Increasing Shoes' Question in People Power Party Primary Debate
Jang Yechan: "He and His Fandom Promoted Appearance as a Strength"
Pro-Han Camp: "Barroom Joke," Hong Junpyo: "Second-Rate Figure"
Jang Yechan, former Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, criticized Han Donghoon, a presidential primary candidate of the People Power Party, stating, "He brought about the controversy over his appearance due to an unusual obsession with looks and groundless confidence." On the 20th, Jang wrote on his social media, "For most politicians, appearance is merely a bonus, not something to be highlighted as a strength," making these remarks.
Jang Yechan, former Supreme Youth Committee Member of the People Power Party. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
Jang continued, "Politicians inevitably undergo scrutiny based on the strengths they claim. If they tout eloquence, people will check if they really excel in debates. If their specialty is policy, their pledges will be examined for substance. If they claim moral superiority, their lives will be scrutinized to see if they truly live up to it. Any strength a politician claims becomes subject to unlimited verification," he said. "Because Han and his fandom have promoted his appearance as a strength, suspicions related to his looks have accumulated to the point of overflowing, and this has made him a target for scrutiny and backlash."
He added, "If he dislikes questions about 'height-increasing shoes,' he can simply stop wearing high heels. The reason people are puzzled is that he insists on wearing shoes with bizarrely high soles, whether they are dress shoes or sneakers. For politicians who travel to various sites, comfortable shoes are essential. If he dislikes questions about straight hair or wigs, he should just address them openly." He further stated, "If the answer is no, just say so and it's over. If the answer is yes, acknowledging the complex would earn encouragement and applause from many citizens."
He went on to say, "Regardless of political orientation, well-known good-looking politicians such as Moon Jae-in, Cho Kuk, Oh Sehoon, and Hong Jungwook have never suffered from such controversies. This is because they did not aggressively promote their appearance as a strength or try to appeal excessively based on looks. In the end, it is a self-inflicted outcome."
The presidential primary candidates of the People Power Party are taking a commemorative photo before the Group B debate of the first round of the presidential primary held on the 20th at ASSA Art Hall in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. From the left, Cheolwoo Lee, Kyungwon Na, Junpyo Hong, Donghoon Han. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group
Earlier that day, during the Group B debate of the first round of the People Power Party primary held at ASSA Art Hall in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, candidate Hong Junpyo stirred controversy by asking Han, presenting it as a 'question from a young person,' "You're tall, so why do you wear height-increasing shoes?" At the time, Han replied, "From the way you ask that question, you don't seem like a young person." Hong then commented, "I won't ask childish questions like 'Is that your natural hair?' or 'Are you wearing shapewear?'"
In response to Hong's remarks, Kim Geunsik, head of political coordination for Han's campaign, wrote on social media, "The quality of our People Power Party primary is embarrassingly low. I feel ashamed and angry." He continued, "A leading candidate, who has served as party leader and even run for president, is wasting his time with second-rate questions," and criticized, "As a political senior, he's making jokes that belong in barroom gossip without hesitation."
Shin Jiho, former People Power Party lawmaker and head of special advisers for Han's campaign, also said in an interview on Channel A's radio show 'Political Signal' on the 21st, "Personal attack questions against Han completely overshadowed the debate," and added, "Hong claimed it was just for fun, but who makes personal attacks for fun? I thought Hong was a tough man from Gyeongsang Province, but yesterday (at the debate) he showed that he is actually a 'lower man.'" On the same day, he reiterated on social media, "Does the first politician with eyebrow tattoos have the right to criticize image politics? I thought he was a tough man from Gyeongsang, but he is a lower man," continuing his criticism.
In response to such criticism from pro-Han (pro-Han Donghoon) circles, Hong retorted, "If you want to continue in politics, you should stop engaging in image politics, but instead, they complain about 'second-rate questions,' so it seems only second-rate people gather in that camp." Targeting Han, he added, "Obsessing over appearance and only taking selfies is nothing but narcissism. It is inner substance, not outward appearance, that leads to insight, wisdom, and discernment."
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