President Lee Rebuts PPP's 'Treating Public Like Pigs' Criticism: 'Eyes Chasing Only the Shell See Only the Shell'

President Lee Jae-myung rebutted criticism from the opposition, including the People Power Party, which accused him of "comparing criticizing citizens to pigs," saying, "Eyes that chase only the shell can only see the shell."

On social media today (November 2), President Lee cited the classical idiom "豚眼只有豚 佛眼只有佛 (don an ji yu don, bul an ji yu bul)," calling it "part of a profound dialogue between Monk Muhak and King Taejo Yi Seong-gye."

He wrote, "It is a Zen dialogue carrying profound meaning, and if I had cited it directly in classical form, people would have said little. Yet when the exact same thought is expressed in Korean as 'the eyes of a Buddha see only Buddhas, and the eyes of a pig see only pigs,' they say it lacks class."

He continued, "What about maidongpung (words falling on deaf ears, literally an east wind blowing past a horse's ear), jojokjiyeol (a mere drop in the bucket, literally blood from a bird's claw), or uidokgyeong (reading scriptures into a cow's ear)? Since these mention cows, chickens, and horses, does expressing them in Korean also demean their class?" adding, "It is a bizarre sense of discrimination that believes authority comes only when draped in Classical Chinese, even though the meaning is entirely identical."

President Lee also emphasized, "The dignity of speech does not stem from the letters acting as the vessel, but from the depth of insight contained within."

Earlier, responding to criticism from the conservative opposition over his frequent overseas trips, President Lee wrote on social media two days ago (October 31) that "the eyes of a Buddha see only Buddhas, and the eyes of a pig see only pigs."

In response, the People Power Party criticized his remarks, calling them "an arrogance that not only belittles the public's legitimate concerns, but goes so far as to compare the people to pigs."

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