Online communities erupted with criticism after Jung Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party, urged a first-grade elementary school girl to call Ha Jung-woo — a candidate in the Busan Buk-gu Gap parliamentary by-election — “oppa,” a Korean term often used by younger women to address an older brother or an older male.
Posts about the incident spread across multiple online forums on May 4, with commenters accusing Jung of crossing a line and calling for him to step down.
One poster, identified as A, wrote, “For reference, Jung Cheong-rae (born 1965 — age 61), Ha Jung-woo (born 1977 — age 48),” and added, “Didn’t Jung’s own son cause trouble at school over a sex-related issue? Like father, like son ... no reflection?”
Another commenter, B, wrote, “At this point, it makes sense why sex-related incidents keep happening in the Democratic Party,” adding that if Jung acted that way “in front of lots of cameras,” he would likely “habitually sexually harass” staff or aides.
Other comments included, “He’s lost it,” “This really crossed the line,” and calls for Jung to resign as party leader. Some posts used crude, derogatory nicknames for the party.
The article noted that much of the negative reaction appeared in women-dominated online communities that are generally considered favorable terrain for the Democratic Party, with many users urging Jung to resign.
Jung drew the backlash after campaigning on May 3 in the Busan Buk-gu area, including Gupo Market, to rally support for Ha. During the visit, Jung told a girl who appeared to be in the lower grades of elementary school, “Here’s Jung-woo oppa — say ‘oppa.’”
Ha, seated in front of the child, pointed to himself and echoed the term, calling himself “oppa.” When the girl looked around, Jung again pressed her to say it. After she responded quietly, Jung clapped and said, “Oh my.”
As the video spread online, People Power Party lawmaker Park Jung-hoon wrote on Facebook the same day that telling an elementary school student to call a politician more than 40 years older “oppa” was “clear sexual harassment of a child.” Park added, “That someone like this is the leader of the ruling party is the laughably sad reality of Korean politics.”
Park also criticized Ha, saying the candidate was “just as pathetic” for smiling and playing along.
People Power Party lawmaker Sung Il-jong also wrote on Facebook that it was “embarrassing” to see “62-year-old leader Jung Cheong-rae and 50-year-old candidate Ha Jung-woo” pressuring a first-grade girl to call them “oppa.” He said the two repeatedly urging the hesitant child was “no different from a form of child abuse.”
Sung added that the child likely felt uncomfortable being made to address someone “presumed to be much older than her father,” and asked whether it was acceptable to cause a young child distress “no matter how desperate they are for votes.”
The Democratic Party said on May 3 that Jung expressed regret, saying he was sorry to the child and her parents because the child “ended up at the center of controversy” during the market visit.
Ha also apologized the previous day, saying that while meeting residents, the child became the focus of the controversy. “I offer my apologies to the child and the parents who may have been hurt,” he said, adding that he would be more careful and meet residents with a “low and humble” attitude.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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