The National Assembly exceeded the requirements for deliberation of the public petition just three days after its initiation… Attention is focused on whether it will become the first case of expulsion in history.
As the controversy surrounding "chopstick hate speech" made by Representative Lee Jun-seok during the presidential debate intensifies, public outrage over the remark is spreading as a petition.
The petition demanding the expulsion of Representative Lee has surpassed 400,000 signatures just five days after its creation.
According to the National Assembly's public petition bulletin board, as of 10:40 AM on the 9th, approximately 415,000 people have agreed to the "Petition for the Expulsion of Representative Lee Jun-seok." This number is significantly more than three times the number of registered members of the Reform Party, to which he belongs (121,253 members).
The petition exceeded the National Assembly’s requirement of 50,000 signatures within a day of its posting, automatically meeting the conditions for referral to the relevant standing committee. However, due to the impact of the holidays, a substantial review has not yet begun, and formal assessment will commence once the National Assembly Secretariat designates a committee.
During the TV debate, the ‘hate speech against women’… at the center of the 'verbal violence' controversy.
The controversy was triggered during the live broadcast of the third presidential candidate debate for the 21st presidential election on the 27th of last month.
At that time, Representative Lee Jun-seok referred to misogynistic expressions made online and posed a question to Kwon Young-guk, the candidate of the Democratic Labor Party. In doing so, he used inappropriate metaphors regarding women's bodies, which sparked fierce controversy. The expression known as "chopstick hate speech" subsequently became a focal point in various online communities and within the political sphere.
The petitioner, Mr. Im, stated in the petition, "During a public debate watched by all citizens, this member violently described women's bodies and committed verbal sexual violence," and criticized, "This behavior profoundly undermines the dignity of a member of the National Assembly and betrays the trust of the public."
On the 5th, Representative Lee expressed his regret through a press release, stating, "I express my regrets," and added, "If I were to go back to that moment, I would not have said it in the same way."
Analysis of the decline in approval ratings… Opposition parties submit disciplinary measures.
Analysis has emerged regarding the negative impact of the remark on the election. Kwon Young-guk, the acting representative of the Reform Party, stated in a KBS radio interview, "The controversy did not appear to have a positive impact on our vote share," adding, "Immediately after the debate, the approval rating temporarily decreased, and it seems that the concern about invalid votes acted during the final stages of the election."
After the election, even among communities that strongly supported him, voices for "self-reflection," "desperate repentance," and "sincere apologies" arose. This is being pointed out as a cause of the dismal vote share recorded in the elections and has been noted that supporters found it difficult to appeal for support among acquaintances.
The expulsion of a National Assembly member can only occur if two-thirds or more of all sitting members of the National Assembly agree, as stipulated in the Constitution. To date, there have been no actual cases of expulsion resulting from public petitions. However, with the number of petition participants surpassing 400,000 in a short period, future responses from the political sphere and the National Assembly are being closely monitored.
Meanwhile, separately from Mr. Im's public petition, 21 members of the Democratic Party, Justice Party, Progressive Party, Basic Income Party, and Social Democratic Party officially submitted a disciplinary motion to the National Assembly’s Ethics Committee on the 28th of last month, stating, "This member publicly belittled a specific gender and used sexually violent language during the TV debate."
Image source: National Assembly electronic petition, MBC, Representative Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party during his presidential candidacy / News1
