Public is not impressed by drunk driving and real-estate scandal
With less than four months until the next presidential election, polls are consistently showing that conservative candidate Yoon Seok-youl, the former Prosecutor General, is leading against leftist Lee Jae-myung, former Gyeonggi Governor, by more than 10 percentage points. Many are now portraying this election as between a “prosecutor” who sought justice throughout his career and a “criminal” who is dogged by repeated investigations, including a huge scandal over a shady real estate deal.
In an apparent attempt to dismiss this unfavorable comparison, Lee is making odd comments that glamorize his own criminal background.
On November 16, Lee met with a group of young environmental activists and said, “I think letting people know about some arguments, even by violating some rules of society, is something that can happen.” He added that he supports this kind of radical lifestyle, as he “did so as well.”
“I have a criminal record as well,” Lee said. “When fighting something, people can be put in the corner to become a criminal, but the individual has the right to decide whether it is the right or wrong thing to do.” His comments came after a young activist explained how he was fined 23 million won ($19,466) for spraying paint on the Doosan Heavy Industries building to protest its construction of local coal power plants. The young person reportedly argued that “this was the only way to fight for our rights” to raise an issue of climate change.
As the news media reported that Lee’s comments can be misinterpreted for advocating crime, Lee’s campaign released a statement denying the criticism. “His comment was not intended to defend criminal activities,” the statement said. “If you look at the overall content, you can see that he was trying to cheer up activists [who are in depressing situation].”
According to the National Election Commission, Lee reported four of his criminal records. He was found guilty of misrepresenting himself as a prosecutor while he was a lawyer, drunk driving, interference with a public official in the exercise of his duty, and violating election-related laws.
Lee’s criminal background has become one of the hottest issues in South Korean politics. Recently, Ahn Cheol-soo, the head of the People’s Party and a presidential candidate, called Lee a “drunk driver,” and Yoon a “new driver,” suggesting that Yoon does not have any political experience. Yoon’s run for president is his first attempt at being elected for office, as he served as a career prosecutor previously. Ahn argued that the country is being forced to choose between a “drunk driver and new driver” as president.
Lee attended a meeting with senior journalists a few days after Ahn made his comments and tried to defend himself. “I think that a new driver is more dangerous than someone with a driving-under-the-influence record,” Lee said. “The nation’s leader should not make a mistake, and the possibility of making a mistake should be low. A new driver might have a clean record, but the individual will have a higher chance of making a mistake. If you think about someone who cleaned a lot of dishes, that individual will have broken more plates previously. However, hiring a beginner to make it safer would be more dangerous.” Lee argued that this is why senior officials in the government are selected from among people with lots of experience instead of those who are beginners.
The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) said that Lee’s comments clearly show that his logic is dangerous. Lee Jun-seok, the head of the PPP, invited the family members and friends of victims of drunk driving on November 15 to the National Assembly. Lee criticized Lee Jae-myung for committing a “secondary offense” against victims of drunk driving.
“It was heartbreaking to hear him talking about drunk driving like it is not a big deal,” Lee said. “It might have been because he has a DUI record, but his comments broke many people’s hearts.” Lee Jun-seok added that no one should compare a new driver with a drunk driver.
Kim Yeon-joon, a spokesperson of the PPP, released a statement calling Lee Jae-myung’s comments “absurd.” She added that “Lee once again revealed his dangerous level of logic.”
Meanwhile, the latest poll from Gongjung on November 16 showed Yoon leading Lee by 45.4 percent to 34.1 percent. The support for Yoon dropped 1.4 percentage points, while the figure for Lee rose 4.5 percentage points from the previous week. Ahn Cheol-soo recorded 4.7 percent, and Shim Sang-jung from the minor left-wing Justice Party received 3 percent.
The survey asked respondents about who is most likely to win the election regardless of who they support. Yoon received 50.4 percent, and this was followed by Lee with 39.6 percent and Ahn with 2.4 percent. When asked whether they would continue to support the candidate they support right now, 70.8 percent said “yes,” and 24.4 percent said it “might change.”
Right now, the people appear to clearly prefer a novice politician to a drunk-driving criminal.
