Lee Junseok Apologizes for Quoting Obscene Remarks: "I Tried to Refine Them, but I Apologize to Those Who Felt Uncomfortable"

Urging Voluntary Deletion of False Information by 2 p.m.
"Strong Civil and Criminal Action Will Be Taken If Not Deleted"

Lee Junseok, the presidential candidate of the Reform New Party, bowed his head during the third televised debate regarding his citation of misogynistic remarks, saying, "I changed the words to value-neutral terms when quoting them, but since the original expressions were extremely obscene, there were limits to how much I could refine and sanitize them." However, he warned that he would take strong civil and criminal action against those who spread false information about him.

On the morning of the 29th, at an emergency press conference at the National Assembly, Lee stated, "I sincerely apologize to those who felt uncomfortable with my remarks." He explained, "During the third presidential debate on the 27th, I asked Kwon Youngguk, a candidate with a background as a human rights lawyer, a question. The question was whether sexually violent internet posts constitute misogyny."

He continued, "The expression in question was not something I created. It was part of a post directly uploaded to an online community by Lee Dongho, the son of candidate Lee Jaemyung. The facts have already been confirmed through legal documents and media reports. It has been verified that Lee Dongho made obscene remarks that crossed the line. Last year, Lee Dongho was fined 5 million won for violating the Information and Communications Network Act."

Reform New Party Candidate Lee Junseok Campaigning
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Photo by Shin Hyunwoo = Reform New Party presidential candidate Lee Junseok appeals for support around Gangnam Station area in Seoul on May 28, 2025. nowwego@yna.co.kr (End)

He added, "My question was not simply provocative; it was a step-by-step verification. It was necessary to confirm how a candidate who speaks about human rights would judge such expressions, and it was also necessary to check what sense of responsibility candidate Lee Jaemyung has regarding his family's misconduct. However, both candidates avoided answering and evaded responsibility."

Lee stated, "But I will not yield. I will firmly oppose any attempt to cover up the truth and will also pursue legal accountability."

Lee further said, "By 2 p.m. today, those who have reversed the facts and spread or posted false information about me on broadcasts or the internet must voluntarily delete those posts and issue a public apology. Otherwise, I will take strong civil and criminal action."