People Power Party: Lee's Social Media Is "Not Communication, but Catering to the Left to Shore Up Approval Ratings"

Park Wonsoon tribute draws criticism: “Clearly a second act of harm”
Han Donghoon and Yoo Seungmin also criticize the tribute

The People Power Party criticized President Lee Jaemyung on October 11 over his social media activity, calling it communication focused on rallying his support base. Opposition figures also criticized a post commemorating the late Park Won-soon, former mayor of Seoul.

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, wrote on Facebook that President Lee’s social media communication was “not communication, but catering to the ‘left’ to shore up his approval ratings,” adding that “Jwa-a-style communication is fueling public anger.” “Jwa-a” is a slang term used on some online sites. It is a play on the Korean word for “elegant,” replacing the word’s first syllable, which means “right,” with the word for “left.”

President Lee Jaemyung speaks at a senior secretaries and aides meeting held at the Blue House on the 1st. Yonhap News Agency

Choi Boyoon, the People Power Party’s senior spokesperson, took issue with the increase in President Lee’s social media posts. “He used to post 30 to 40 times a month after taking office, but the number exceeded 100 in September, when his approval ratings were wavering,” Choi said, asking, “Is this communication for the people or for rallying his support base?” She went on to say, “The president’s posts shake the markets, send farmers into the streets, and force the diplomatic service to offer explanations.” She urged him to announce policies only after they had gone through Cabinet meetings and reviews by the relevant ministries, and to address diplomatic and security issues through official channels rather than social media.

People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheolsoo strongly criticized President Lee for posting a tribute to Park on X, formerly Twitter. In the post, Lee wrote, “I am thinking of the late Mayor Park Won-soon. He was the person who made me realize the importance of communication and social media as a means of communication.” On Facebook, Ahn claimed, “President Lee, a sex crime took place at the official residence where you met Park Won-soon,” and, “At the very place where you say you chatted on social media, Park sent lewd messages and obscene photos to a young secretary and attempted sexual harassment.” He added, “You say you miss a sex offender? After abolishing supplementary investigative authority, are you now seeking to restore Park’s political rights as well? Do you want to become the president of criminals?” He demanded, “Today’s post by President Lee on X is clearly a second act of harm against the victim. Delete it immediately and apologize.”

Han Donghoon, an independent lawmaker, also criticized the tribute to Park in a Facebook post. “The president of South Korea must not publicly praise Park Won-soon, the former mayor of Seoul, who committed a power-abusing sex crime, never apologized to the victim, and died by suicide,” Han wrote.

Yoo Seungmin, a former People Power Party lawmaker, took issue with President Lee’s posts about real estate. “He has posted countless times about real estate, yet instead of reflecting on the policy failures, he stubbornly clings to failed policies, blames the previous administration, and says nothing about the rent crisis that is hurting ordinary people,” Yoo wrote on social media. He added, “It is also a serious problem that the president’s social media posts are directed not toward national unity but only toward his own political camp, and that they are consumed by power struggles among themselves that have nothing to do with people’s livelihoods.” He continued, “People are exhausted and angry, wondering why they have to watch a family feud that is making the whole country noisy play out on the president’s social media.”

He added, “I hope the president understands that the very sight of him staying up past midnight and fixating on social media over trivial matters is making people anxious and worried.”

The Reform Party also called on President Lee to change how he communicates on social media. In a statement, party spokesperson Cha Ho claimed that Lee posted 18 times over the three-day National Foundation Day holiday and 11 times on October 5 alone, while holding only seven formal press conferences in the 16 months since taking office.

“Make press conferences regular. If you cannot hold them every day, then at least hold them every month and stand before reporters who ask questions on behalf of the people,” Cha urged. He added, “Posting without taking questions is not communication; it is notification. When that notification goes up at 1 a.m., it gives people the chills.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.