Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the Reform Party, pointed out on the 28th that Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, should "reflect on his own life."
On this day, candidate Lee Jae-myung said on social media that "Korean politics fails to meet the dignity and expectations of the people. The presidential election, which should convey the vision, policies, and hopes of the Republic of Korea, is filled with slander, gossip, and language of hatred that one cannot even mention."
Candidate Lee Jun-seok had previously caused controversy by using vulgar expressions while mentioning women's body parts during a televised debate on the 3rd conducted by the National Election Commission.
Candidate Lee spoke with reporters at the Reform Party camp in Gangnam, Seoul, that afternoon, saying, "The attitude shown by candidate Lee Jae-myung in the debate likely did not serve as a model for the younger generation."
He remarked, "Didn’t he also get rebutted when trying to criticize Lee Jun-seok by saying that I had just come out of the shower during the martial law period?" He added, "Similar content came up in the previous election, and I believe Lee Jae-myung should adopt a more reflective attitude."
He continued, "Confirming the values or sensitivity regarding candidates' sexual crimes during the election period is an important verification standard," and stated, "From the same perspective, it was shocking for me to mention the substance of 'pig fertility agent.'" This implies that the same standards should be applied regarding the expression in the autobiography of former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo that has been pointed out by the progressive camp.
Kim Yong-tae, the chairperson of the People Power Party’s emergency response committee, also criticized via social media that "it is questionable whether candidate Lee Jae-myung qualifies to criticize candidate Lee Jun-seok while referencing unacceptable language."
The chairperson stated, "It was wrong for candidate Lee Jun-seok to mention inappropriate words during the broadcast debate," and added, "Candidate Lee Jun-seok also acknowledged his mistake and apologized."
He criticized, saying, "In reality, the person who has become a prominent candidate through 'division politics with harsh language' is candidate Lee Jae-myung himself."
The chairperson added, "His 'harsh language' remains abundantly on Twitter and Facebook," noting, "If he thought that our citizens would be unaware of how frivolous and filled with hatred the language used by candidate Lee Jae-myung is, he was greatly mistaken."
Candidate Lee Jun-seok further pointed out, "Candidate Lee Jae-myung said that it will cost 210 trillion won to realize today's pledges, but will those expenses be available?" He noted, "Given the budget deficits, it won't be easy to secure resources unless he realizes hotel economics. That is not fair to the citizens." He further added, "In a situation where there is no reason for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to exist, if it is expanded and reorganized, it will be necessary to spend taxes, which will not be easy to justify."
Candidate Lee stated, "Since my phone is blocked, I cannot even know if the People Power Party has proposed unification," and noted, "I received a call from someone related to the Reform Party, but I understand that they were not responded to." He added, "According to the opinion poll results, my approval rating was analyzed to have reached 14%, and ultimately, when it comes to competitiveness, I see it as Lee Jun-seok."
On this day, JTBC reported that a joint survey with Hyundai Research was conducted via telephonic interviews with 1,005 adults nationwide from the 26th to 27th, showing support rates in a three-way match, with candidate Lee Jae-myung at 48%, candidate Kim Moon-soo at 34%, and candidate Lee Jun-seok at 14%. The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points (at a 95% confidence level). For more detailed information, refer to the website of the Central Election Survey Deliberation Committee.