Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, said regarding the controversy over sexually suggestive comments that his eldest son, Dong-ho, is presumed to have posted in an online community, "It’s my fault for not raising him properly." However, he noted that exaggerating and distorting the comments targeting Lee Jun-seok, the Reform Party presidential candidate, should follow with judicial sanctions.
The candidate met with reporters after finishing a campaign in Wonju, Gangwon Province, on the afternoon of the 30th and, in response to a question about, "The comments made by my son were confirmed by the prosecution's indictment and the court’s summary order," he said, "There’s no parent who wins against a child in matters of excessive expression; it’s my fault for not raising him properly."
He added, "While manipulating the comments to make them sound sexual and humiliating the public, we must hold accountable those who acted carelessly in a public forum with misogynistic feelings. In particular, shouldn’t there be sufficient judicial sanctions for the charge of fabricating false facts?"
The candidate also said to Lee Jun-seok, "He hasn’t apologized for that point; wouldn’t it be nice if he did?"
Earlier, during the 3rd TV debate among presidential candidates on the 27th, Lee Jun-seok had referred to the explicit comments presumed to have been posted by Lee Jae-myung's eldest son, Dong-ho, in an online community, asking, "Do these kinds of posts qualify as misogynistic?" In response, Lee Jae-myung did not confirm whether the comments were made. The Democratic Party also stated, "It’s unclear whether Lee Jae-myung's son did it or not."
The Democratic Party's election campaign committee has filed a complaint against Lee Jun-seok for the crime of publicizing false information to defeat him and is proceeding with a motion for his expulsion from office. The motion for expulsion must pass with a two-thirds majority of the sitting members.
On the same day, Lee Jun-seok held a press conference at the National Assembly’s communication room and said, "After Yoon Suk-yeol took power, he tried to kill me, and it seems like Lee Jae-myung is trying to kill me even before taking power," adding that it indicates the prelude to Lee Jae-myung's Yooshin dictatorship.