'I might make a slip of the tongue': Why Lee Jae-myung has been quiet on the campaign trail

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'I might make a slip of the tongue': Why Lee Jae-myung has been quiet on the campaign trail

Published: 22 Apr. 2025, 16:33

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Democratic Party presidential contender Lee Jae-myung attends a policy roundtable on capital market revitalization at the Korea Financial Investment Association in Yeouido, western Seoul, on April 21. [KIM SEONG-RYONG]

Democratic Party (DP) presidential contender Lee Jae-myung is minimizing public exposure and relying on carefully worded social media posts, adopting a low-profile communication strategy to avoid past controversies sparked by off-the-cuff remarks.

“Let me turn off the mic — I might make a slip of the tongue and give them another excuse to nitpick,” Lee said on Monday during his opening remarks for a policy roundtable on capital market revitalization at the Korea Financial Investment Association in Yeouido, western Seoul.

While the comment reflected an awareness of the Public Official Election Act, which prohibits the use of microphones or loudspeakers outside the official campaign period, it also clearly revealed his intent to be cautious with his words.

About an hour earlier, at 9 a.m., Lee had posted a statement to Facebook titled “We will eliminate the Korea Discount through recovery and growth and usher in the Kospi 5000 era,” outlining his policy for revitalizing the stock market.

Korea Discount refers to the relative undervaluation of stocks listed on Korean exchanges.

During the roundtable, Lee spent most of his time listening to opinions from figures in the financial investment sector, such as Korea Financial Investment Association Chairman Seo Yoo-seok and Korea Analysts Association Chairman Choi Young-kwon. Immediately after the roundtable, Lee took only three questions over five minutes before departing the venue.

Since declaring his candidacy on April 9, Lee has been communicating policy pledges and positions on current issues more through written statements than through speech. Just before each public appearance, he releases related pledges in refined language via Facebook.

Even on Tuesday, when he had no public commitments due to a court hearing, he unveiled climate and health care policy pledges in posts between 1,100 and 1,300 Korean characters long, roughly equivalent to 400 words in English.

For region-specific pledges timed with the DP’s traveling primary events, Lee has left the announcements to campaign Chairman Yoon Ho-jung and Chief Strategist Kang Hoon-sik, rather than delivering them himself.

He has also been limiting his media exposure by requesting that DP press pool reporters cover his events, thereby reducing Q. and A. sessions. This strategy contrasts with those of fellow DP candidates Kim Kyoung-soo and Kim Dong-yeon, who have been expanding their media engagement since entering the race.

Regarding this, a source from Lee’s camp said, “if we look to past cases, it’s clear that Lee has rarely benefited from speaking too much,” adding, “this ‘minimal exposure’ strategy will continue not only through the primaries, but also into the general election.”

A post on Democratic Party presidential contender Lee Jae-myung's Facebook account, titled ″We will eliminate the Korea Discount through recovery and growth and usher in the Kospi 5000 era,” outlines his policy for revitalizing the stock market on April 21. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Lee has, in fact, spent significant time and effort responding to controversies sparked by his own remarks ahead of the last presidential election three years ago.

One prominent example came during the second DP primary debate on July 5, 2021, when then-Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun mentioned Lee’s alleged scandal involving an actor.

Lee responded, “should I drop my pants again? What more do you want?” — a reference to a physical examination he had undergone at Ajou University Hospital to rebut the allegations.

After criticism, Lee explained, “I got irritated for a moment because it came from someone who should’ve known better.”

On Nov. 3, 2021, after being confirmed as the DP’s presidential candidate, Lee visited a webtoon production company in Bucheon, Gyeonggi. Upon seeing a piece titled “The Nuna at Our Office” (2021) in the exhibition room, he remarked, “office nuna [older woman]? That title really grabs my attention,” sparking controversy.

Democratic Party presidential contender Lee Jae-myung visits a webtoon production company in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 3, 2021. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Though a representative from the webtoon company laughed it off, saying, “it’s not an adult work,” the issue escalated after the party’s press release misquoted Lee as saying, “that’s a racy title.” Lee was criticized for objectifying women.

On Dec. 3, 2021, during a talk in Jeonju, North Jeolla, Lee said “our respected former President Park Geun-hye used to go to Seomun Market in Daegu when things got tough.”

Four days later, during a lecture at Seoul National University, he added, “I said ‘respected President Park,’ and people thought I actually respected her,” provoking backlash from opponents.

At the time, the party’s campaign committee explained it away as “a rhetorical device,” but the incident further cemented Lee’s reputation for being inconsistent in his remarks.

Democratic Party presidential contender Lee Jae-myung waves to supporters in front of Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, western Seoul, before a trial on April 22. [NEWS1]

During the last presidential election, Lee also faced backlash from the Buddhist community after DP Rep. Jung Chung-rae referred to cultural heritage admission fees charged at temples as a “Bongyi Kim Seon-dal” situation — a metaphor for a con.

Consequently, Lee’s camp and the party are now closely watching for unexpected variables such as calls for the impeachment of acting President Han Duck-soo and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, as well as gaffes or discriminatory remarks from hard-liners.

“While there’s a prevailing sense of EoDaeMyung [an abbreviation for 'anyway, Lee Jae-myung will be president'] in the primaries, once each camp begins to consolidate, we can’t be 100 percent confident in winning the election,” a senior Democratic lawmaker said. “Everyone in the party needs to maintain a calm and steady approach throughout the campaign.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY HA JUN-HO [[email protected]]