Yang Hyangja Faces "Communist" Accusations While Meeting Busan Citizens
Admits, "Yes, I am from Jeolla Province" in Response
Clarifies, "It Was a Reaction to Hardline Supporters' Protests"
Yang Hyangja, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, has come under fire for allegedly making disparaging remarks about Jeolla Province while meeting with citizens in Busan. According to the Hankyoreh on the 24th, Yang made an inappropriate comment while responding to criticism from the audience, who called her a "commie," during the "People Power Party National Rally for Livelihood Recovery and Rule of Law" held on Gwangbokjungang-ro in Jung-gu, Busan, on the afternoon of the 22nd.
Yang stated, "Yes, I am from Jeolla. Even if you call me a commie, I have nothing to say. I've always been red inside." She is originally from Hwasun, South Jeolla Province, and entered politics in 2016 when she was recruited as a talent by then-Democratic Party leader Moon Jaein. In the 21st National Assembly, she served as a Democratic Party lawmaker representing Gwangju Seo-gu Eul.
On that day, Yang delivered a speech aimed at rallying support in Busan ahead of next year's local elections. She said, "I will protect Busan, our People Power Party, and the Republic of Korea, and no matter how much you criticize or point fingers at me, I will dedicate myself to the end." She appealed, "Many of our party members are angry. But we must win. We must not point fingers at each other."
She continued, "People from Busan are truly warm. People from Busan are just. People from Busan are the ones who defend democracy." She added, "I married a man from Busan at 22, had my first daughter at 24, and my mother-in-law raised her well. I am a Busan daughter-in-law." She also said, "I worked at Samsung for over 30 years alongside people from the Yeongnam region, and with the determination to protect Korea, I worked as hard as I could."
She further stated, "If you have sent Jang Donghyuk and Yang Hyangja to the leadership, shouldn't you support us to the end? Why do you keep trying to bring us down? We must win together."
As her remarks became widely known, Yang moved to clarify her position. She told the Hankyoreh, "The mention of 'commie' was a response to protests from some hardline People Power Party supporters." At the scene, there were reportedly many protests directed at Yang, including "Jeolla commie" and "Get off the stage." She also revealed that during the party convention in August, she received similar criticisms such as "Jeolla commie" and "Democratic Party spy" from party members in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.
Yang said, "On one side, they tell me to step down because I'm a Jeolla commie, and on the other, because I'm part of the Han Donghoon faction. There have always been extreme disparagements of Jeolla from some people," adding, "I couldn't fight back right there, and since I had to give my speech, I said it because I felt I had no other choice."
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