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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Political Feud Erupts Over Ex-President's 'Bad Person' Remark; Rival Candidate Accused of Misrepresentation

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A political dispute has erupted in South Korea over former President Lee Myung-bak's "bad person" comment, with a candidate claiming it targeted a rival.
  • Park Min-sik, a candidate for a by-election, suggested Lee's remarks were aimed at his opponent, Han Dong-hoon, who is running as an independent.
  • Allies of Han Dong-hoon have strongly refuted the claim, calling it "absurd" and accusing Park of misrepresenting Lee's intentions.

A political firestorm has ignited in South Korea following claims that former President Lee Myung-bak's recent "bad person" remark was directed at a specific rival in an upcoming by-election. Park Min-sik, a candidate for the Busan Buk-gap parliamentary seat, asserted that Lee's words of encouragement, "Fight to the end. If a good person fights a bad person, they must win. You will surely win", were meant for him and targeted his main opponent, independent candidate Han Dong-hoon.

Fight to the end. If a good person fights a bad person, they must win. You will surely win.

— Lee Myung-bakFormer President Lee Myung-bak's words of encouragement, interpreted differently by political candidates.

Park interpreted Lee's statement as a "stern command" from conservative supporters to defeat someone who had "shaken the values of conservatism" and "brought joy to the Democratic Party" during a difficult time for the People Power Party. He further suggested the comment was a directive to stop the "Democratic Party's rampage" in the Busan Buk-gap constituency. Park framed the election as a battle between "bad politics" that harms people with numbers and "good politics" that wins hearts, emphasizing his own role in uniting the conservative base.

It was not just simple encouragement. It is the stern command of our conservative supporters to surely defeat the person who shook the values of conservatism and brought joy to the Democratic Party during our party's difficult time.

— Park Min-sikCandidate Park Min-sik interpreting Lee Myung-bak's remarks as a directive against his rival.

However, Han Dong-hoon's camp vehemently denied Park's interpretation. Kim Jong-hyuk, a former supreme council member and a close ally of Han, called the claim "absurd." According to Kim, someone who accompanied Lee to Busan stated that the former president's "good versus bad" comment was intended to encourage victory against the Democratic Party, not to differentiate between Park and Han. Kim also alleged that Park Min-sik had aggressively sought proximity to Lee during the event, even insisting on sitting next to him at a meal, despite Lee's primary purpose for visiting Busan being to support another candidate, Park Heong-joon.

The person who accompanied former President Lee to Busan today contacted me. They said, 'MB's comment about a good person fighting a bad person and winning was meant to win against the Democratic Party, so it's absurd that candidate Park is claiming MB said Han Dong-hoon is the bad candidate.'

— Kim Jong-hyukAn ally of Han Dong-hoon refuting Park Min-sik's interpretation of Lee Myung-bak's statement.

The controversy highlights the intense internal dynamics within the conservative People Power Party as it navigates a crucial by-election. Park Min-sik's attempt to leverage the former president's endorsement has backfired, drawing sharp criticism from Han Dong-hoon's supporters and raising questions about the authenticity of political endorsements and the strategies employed in closely contested races.

Also, they added, 'MB went to support Mayor Park Heong-joon, not candidate Park Min-sik, but he kept trying to take pictures with MB and even forced himself to sit next to him at the restaurant.'

— Kim Jong-hyukAn ally of Han Dong-hoon accusing Park Min-sik of fabricating proximity to former President Lee.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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