"Do Politics 'Left-Gantly,'" Sarcastic Jab Asks: "Why Are Only 'OUT' and 'FILE' in English?"

The name of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon was once again spotted in the notepad of Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, following a similar occurrence last month.

This time, the phrase "Han Dong-hoon file" was written, prompting Lawmaker Han to lash out, calling it an "exposed political plot."

The controversy began yesterday (October 1) when press cameras captured Representative Kim's notepad in the National Assembly's main plenary hall.

The notepad contained notes such as "wartime operational control (OPCON)," "check Sejong Assembly chamber office," and "security," along with "Han Dong-hoon file."

On the same day, Han referred to the note as an "exposed plot" on social media, asserting, "The ruling party leader, who cannot even properly speak out about North Korea's landmine attack, is cooking up dirty plots behind the scenes."

He added, "I advise you to do politics a bit more 'left-gantly.'"

The term "jwa-ah-hage" (left-gantly) is a sarcastic play on "u-ah-hage" (elegantly), replacing the syllable "u" (which sounds like the Korean word for "right") with "jwa" (left). Han was mocking the word after it became a trending topic when President Lee Jae-myung used it in a recent social media post.

Han also took a jab at the end of his post, writing, "'Han Dong-hoon OUT,' 'Han Dong-hoon file'—why are only 'OUT' and 'file' written in English?"

Earlier, on September 9, Kim's notepad had been caught on camera showing the phrase "Lee Jin-sook · Han Dong-hoon OUT" alongside the names of key figures, including Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik.

As controversy erupted at the time, Kim said the following day through his official YouTube channel, "Even the Vice Minister of Justice confirmed that the materials Lawmaker Han brought forward were internal documents," adding, "In a situation where there is conviction beyond reasonable suspicion of legal violations, he is not qualified to serve as a lawmaker."

Kim took issue with the circumstances under which Han allegedly leaked investigative materials related to the "new drug solicitation lobbying" allegations involving former Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won.

Kim previously stated that he planned to suspend both individuals from their duties, saying, "In preparation for the possibility that expulsion requiring a two-thirds majority cannot be agreed upon, I have introduced a bill that can suspend a lawmaker's qualifications for up to one year with a majority vote in the plenary session."

Reported by Kim Min-jeong | Video by Lee Yu-jin | Design by Lee Soo-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.