Members' gaffes cause rifts in opposition party, raise public ire
These images provided by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea show its controversial banners unveiled, Nov. 17. Yonhap
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has faced growing controversies over a series of gaffes made by its members, bringing a sense of crisis to the party leadership in the lead up to general elections, slated for April, when voters will elect new lawmakers.
Concerns are growing within the party, as the controversies have already led to a fall in its approval ratings according to a recent opinion poll.
The controversies began on Nov. 17 when the party unveiled its campaign banners for the upcoming elections. Some of the banners faced backlash for their seemingly derogatory representation of young voters.
The banners, which were teasers for the party’s new campaign aimed at boosting support from young voters, read, “I don’t know politics, but want to be affluent,” and “I don’t know economics, but want to have a lot of money.”
The banners provoked criticism, especially from young people, leading the party to issue a formal apology on Nov. 20. At the time, the party vowed to reexamine its campaign for young voters from square one.
On Nov. 19, former DPK lawmaker Choe Kang-wook caused another controversy for using a Korean word meaning a female animal to apparently refer to first lady Kim Keon Hee.
During a book publishing event, Choe compared the Yoon government to George Orwell’s "Animal Farm," and used the Korean word “amkeot” that refers to female animals.
At the time, he said, “The Yoon government has become the animal kingdom. But even in ‘Animal Farm,’ few amkeots are running wild like that.”
Former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Choe Kang-wook attends a National Assembly plenary session in this Sept. 18 photo. Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwon
Choe’s use of the controversial word caused a stir both in and outside of the main opposition party.
Female lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party even called for the permanent expulsion of Choe, claiming that the word was offensive and derogatory to women.
In response to mounting criticism, the opposition party decided to impose a six-month party membership suspension on him on Nov. 22.
“I sincerely apologize for Choi’s comments,” DPK floor leader Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo said. “We will respond sternly to any comments that are unrelated to the party’s official stance and only cause conflict.”
Party Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung also urged party members to take extra care of any comments, saying, “The party is at an important juncture.”
Several party members, however, have appeared to be uncooperative with the party leadership, expressing their regret over the decision to suspend Choe’s membership.
Amid growing controversies, the gap between the opposition party's approval ratings and those of the ruling party widened to 7 percentage points from the previous 3 percentage points.
In the opinion poll jointly conducted by four pollsters including Korea Research from Nov. 20 to 22, the DPK’s approval ratings stood at 27 percent, compared to the ruling party’s 34 percent.
The DPK’s ratings fell by 1 percentage point, while those of the ruling party rose by 3 percentage points, from the numbers tallied two weeks ago.
As a sense of crisis gripped the opposition party, its leadership announced another measure on Friday, saying the party will enhance scrutiny of remarks made by those who are seeking to run in the upcoming elections, and reflect the results in its nomination screening.