▲ President Lee Jae-myung
President Lee Jae-myung stated, "It is dangerous if rational, fact-based debate disappears from the public arena of democracy."
President Lee made the appeal on Sunday on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "The essence of politics lies in who earns the empathy and consent of more sovereign citizens."
President Lee said, "Winning an argument against someone is not a real victory. There are too many instances of winning the battle but losing the war," adding, "Using abusive language, profanity, sarcasm, disrespectful speech, derogatory terms, or spreading fake news on social media spaces where everyone can see may feel temporarily satisfying, but in the eyes of the sovereign people who are watching as referees, it is already a defeat."
He went on to emphasize, "Arguing, persuading, and pointing things out based on truth, with courtesy and dignity, or in the currently trending term 'jwah-hage' ('left-gantly'), is the true way to win."
He continued, "I ask all of you, friends of the President, to safeguard a clean public forum and South Korean democracy through rational debate," adding, "For we are the warriors of light who overcame the Dec. 3 insurrection, achieved the revolution of light, and will build an irreplaceable Republic of Korea."
The term "jwah-hage" used by President Lee is an online slang term used on some internet communities, substituting the character "woo" in "woo-ah-hage" (elegantly) with "jwah" (meaning left).
In an earlier post on X on Sunday, President Lee responded to criticism from the conservative opposition regarding his use of the word "jwah-hage," calling it "a playful pun (wordplay)" and adding, "While gravity, seriousness, and authority are important virtues, we should also guard against 'excessive seriousness' that treats drama as if it were a documentary."
Meanwhile, in another post on X, President Lee shared a news report that the government had voiced opposition to the introduction of a nuclear-based Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) system, stating, "We must be cautious about extraordinary privileges where the public bears the risks and social costs of nuclear power plants, while only a few specific conglomerates in certain industries monopolize the benefits."
He added, "If we grant preferential treatment to one steelmaker, other companies will step forward, and won't other companies across different industries eventually demand the same?"
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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