Granny, Kids Unmentioned As Lee Lauds Housewives

Could somebody be looking for the homemaker vote next year?

Opposition leader Lee Hoi-chang said Wednesday that he has "tremendous respect for Korea's housewives." Mr. Lee made the remark during a dinner with the cast of the television soap opera "Housewives." He said the television series greatly influenced the women's rights movement in Korea by highlighting common concerns of housewives. He added that many women related to the message of the drama and gained strength from it.

The drama is the story of a thirtysomething married woman who is looked down upon by her husband after he becomes a tenured professor. The husband then develops a relationship with his unmarried female friend from college. But his wife sues him and wins custody of their children as well as other benefits.

The husband's dream of marrying his college friend fails while his ex-wife's restaurant business booms. The drama reflects the increasing Korean acceptance of divorce and independent women.

Mr. Lee joked during the dinner that calling someone Chang Jin-gu, the name of the husband in the drama, is a terrible insult these days.

Won Mi-kyung, who plays the role of the distraught-but-eventually-successful woman, encouraged Mr. Lee to make more contact with the public to learn of their concerns. The meeting was arranged by Mr. Lee's chief of staff, Choo Chin-woo. Lee Soon-jae, an actor on the soap opera, is a model in the television commercial for the company Mr. Choo runs.

There were no reports that Mr. Lee kissed any babies.

by Ko Jung-ae