Opposition Party Criticizes President Lee’s Entertainment Appearance Amid National Crisis
South Korea’s main opposition party sharply condemned President Lee jae-myung‘s recent appearance on the JTBC entertainment show “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator” amid a national computer network outage and growing economic anxieties. The Peopel Power Party accused the President of prioritizing personal image over public duty and neglecting critical national issues.
The People Power Party launched a scathing critique of President Lee’s participation in the JTBC show “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator” on September 9th,the final day of the Chuseok holiday. Party officials argue the President’s televised appearance was ill-timed, coming as the nation grappled wiht a widespread computer network outage and economic anxieties.
During a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly, Representative Jang Dong-hyuk stated that President Lee “took the lead in appearing on entertainment shows and fanned the flames further amid (the people’s) discomfort,” rather of focusing on resolving the paralyzing effects of the national computer network fire. He further accused the administration of hypocrisy,noting that they had previously accused his party of wrongdoing during the digital crisis,yet the President appeared on television “after the truth was revealed” and left the resolution to public officials. The Democratic Party previously filed a defamation charge on September 7th, contesting Representative Jang’s claim that President Lee’s actions over a 48-hour period were “ultimately a lie.”
The criticism extended to economic policy, with Representative Jang asserting that the administration was “inciting anti-Americanism” while negotiating tariffs with the United States, despite struggling domestic companies facing “high tariffs.” He pointedly remarked, “Please ask for tariffs, not refrigerators.”
The offensive also targeted Kim Hyeon-ji, head of the 1st Department, with Representative Jang alleging that the police “illegally handcuffed” former Korea Communications Commission Chairman Lee jin-sook. He claimed this was followed by the “hurried” appointment of General Affairs Secretary Kim Hyun-ji to a key position, suggesting a move to protect the administration. “I hope (President Lee) does not just take care of kim Hyun,but takes care of the lives of the people,” he emphasized.
Representative Jang delivered a broad condemnation of the president’s leadership, accusing him of being “invisible in times of national crisis,” having “destroyed economic, diplomatic and security,” ignoring the “people’s livelihood,” and being focused solely on “seizing power.” He specifically criticized the President’s “mukbang” – a Korean term for eating broadcasts – “against the backdrop of disaster.”
Floor leader Song Eon-seok echoed these concerns, highlighting the contrast between the President’s televised meal of rice pizza and the economic hardships faced by citizens.He noted a 30% surge in rice prices over the past year and the burden of rising tariffs. He further stated that 709 administrative systems across the country were paralyzed while President Lee was filming the variety show, with a recovery rate of only around 20% when the program aired. “People’s livelihoods in the real world are more precarious than ever, such as news of exchange rates and skyrocketing housing prices,” he added, characterizing this as the prevailing sentiment during the Chuseok holiday.
Floor Leader Song questioned the President’s whereabouts during the crisis, pointing out that the entertainment program was broadcast despite requests from the opposition party to halt its airing, even after reports of fatalities among on-site public officials responding to the network outage.
Regarding a request from the Democratic Party to convene a plenary session to address non-contentious livelihood bills, Floor Leader Song urged them to “abandon the self-righteousness and stubbornness” and engage in bipartisan cooperation for the sake of the nation.
The People Power Party has vowed to thoroughly investigate the Lee Jae-myung administration’s actions during the upcoming National Assembly audit, promising to “uncover the Lee Jae-myung administration’s misdeeds in detail and correcting the collapsed national system.”
