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Petition to boot Lee Jun-seok from Assembly over debate comment qualifies for review

Published: 06 Jun. 2025, 14:56

Reform Party Rep. Lee Jun-seok speaks to press in Yeouido, western Seoul, shortly after the 21st presidential election ended on June 3. [YONHAP]

A petition calling for the expulsion of Lee Jun-seok, a Reform Party lawmaker and former presidential candidate, over controversial remarks referencing female anatomy during a televised presidential debate has reached the threshold for review by the National Assembly.

The petition — titled “Petition for the Expulsion of Lawmaker Lee Jun-seok” — was posted on Wednesday and gained 144,443 signatures as of Friday. Under Assembly rules, a petition must gather at least 50,000 signatures within 30 days to be considered. The relevant committee to review the petition has yet to be determined.

The petition argues that Lee violated constitutional and legislative standards of conduct by using language deemed to be “sexual violence” and depicting violence against women to attack a rival candidate. It claims his behavior betrayed public trust and severely damaged the dignity of lawmakers.

According to Korea’s Constitution, a member of parliament can be expelled with a two-thirds majority vote in the Assembly.

The controversy stems from the final televised debate on May 27, during which Lee cited an online comment — allegedly written by the son of President Lee Jae-myung, who was the Democratic Party candidate at the time — that included a vulgar reference to female anatomy and chopsticks.

Lee directed his question to Kwon Young-guk of the Democratic Labor Party, asking whether the comment constituted misogyny. The remark was widely viewed as an attempt to discredit Lee Jae-myung through his son’s online history.

Kwon declined to respond, and Lee Jae-myung rebuked the question as “personal gossip,” adding that Lee Jun-seok seemed more interested in sensationalism than in improving citizens’ lives.

Lee apologized on May 28 and 30, but also pushed back against the criticism. In a press conference on May 30, he said, “The Democratic Party and its second, third and fourth-tier parties are trying to expel me from the National Assembly. This fight is clear — a battle against despots like Lee Jae-myung, sophists like Rhyu Si-min and conspiracy theorists like Kim Eo-jun," name-checking a liberal commentator who formerly served as health minister and a far-left political podcaster, respectively.

Speaking to reporters at the Reform Party’s campaign wrap-up event on Thursday, Lee expressed regret about the so-called misogynistic chopsticks remark, saying, “If I could go back to the third debate, I wouldn’t do it that way.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]