Lee Seong-yoon, a candidate for the Supreme Council of the Democratic Party, faced strong backlash from the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction after posting on August 6 about the sentiment in Honam, stating, "During the day, Kim Min-seok; at night, Jeong Cheong-rae." Notably, Song Young-gil, the party's longest-serving candidate with six terms, criticized the remarks as "pathetic."
On August 7, Song expressed on Facebook, "Living without contributing, lacking historical awareness, and treating party members as mere tools for votes, this is the mental state reflected in such comments." He added, "It is truly horrifying that someone with such a pathetic level of understanding is running for the Supreme Council again. I urge party members to judge this with their votes."
Im Mi-ae, another candidate for the Supreme Council, also criticized Jeong Cheong-rae, saying, "The candidate treats Honam party members as if they are still unawakened, claiming, 'The enlightened citizens of Yeongnam are coming to Honam.' What does 'daytime Kim Min-seok, nighttime Jeong Cheong-rae' even mean?"
She further questioned, "Are you comparing the painful history of Honam party members, who had to navigate threats from guerrillas during the day and communists at night?" Im emphasized the need to respect party members, stating, "No matter how urgent the situation, there must be respect for party members. How can a candidate who claims to support party sovereignty show no respect for members?"
Kim Yong, another candidate for the Supreme Council, remarked, "After the Yeosu-Suncheon incident and during the Korean War, Honam residents had to change their flags between day and night to survive. The blood and tears of the people remain throughout Honam, from Jirisan to the Seomjin River."
He urged Lee to retract his comments, stating, "Have you trivialized this tragic history into a factional election joke with 'daytime Kim Min-seok, nighttime Jeong Cheong-rae'? You must delete the post immediately and apologize to the citizens of Honam and the families of the victims. The tragedy of Honam is not your election tool."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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