PPP Gyeongnam Provincial Councillor Sparks Controversy Over Derogatory Remark About President Lee Jae-myung in Assembly Group Chat

A Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly member belonging to the ruling People Power Party (PPP) has drawn backlash from Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmakers after using a derogatory term targeting President Lee Jae-myung in the provincial assembly's official group chat on KakaoTalk, which includes all council members and staff.

According to the provincial assembly today, Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly Ethics Committee Chairperson Kim Lee-keun of the PPP responded on August 29 after another PPP lawmaker posted a personal statement and a news article raising issues regarding the relocation of the Naval Academy in Jinhae. Chairperson Kim posted a message using a derogatory term targeting President Lee Jae-myung, stating, "○○○ is digging their own grave."

As soon as the message was posted, DPK lawmakers immediately pushed back.

One DPK lawmaker criticized the remark, asking, "Is this chat room a place for the ruling and opposition parties to hurl insults at each other?" and adding, "People are entitled to their own arguments, but we must at least maintain basic etiquette."

In response, Chairperson Kim posted an explanation stating, "I momentarily mistook this for the People Power Party's internal group chat," but DPK lawmakers continued their criticism, demanding that he refrain from using crude expressions.

Eventually, all DPK lawmakers left the group chat room.

As the controversy grew, Chairperson Kim called DPK Floor Leader Kim Kyung-soo to apologize and expressed his intention to step down as chairperson of the Ethics Committee.

Floor Leader Kim Kyung-soo stated, "We accepted the apology out of concern over the escalation of the controversy, but I am worried about how the provincial residents will perceive this."

Out of the 68 total seats in the Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly, the People Power Party holds 44 seats, the Democratic Party holds 23 seats, and an independent holds 1 seat.

(Photo provided by Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.